


Iridescent

by Loloia_Brabock



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blind Kanan Jarrus, Blind jokes, Danger, Epic Bromance, F/M, Families of Choice, Fix-It, Fluff, Jealous Anakin, Kind of Canon Compliant, M/M, Master Billaba makes an appearance, Multiple minor character deaths, Sassy Clones, Sassy Kanan, This is going to be long, Time Travel Fix-It, Timeline Mixup, War, add as I go characters, everyone is a BAMF, hella angst, kanan centric, or something, the ways of the force, yay!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2018-09-17 04:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 88,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9303272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loloia_Brabock/pseuds/Loloia_Brabock
Summary: “Hmmm…” The old master grumbled, narrowing his eyes at Obi-Wan and whacking him in the shin good-naturedly. "Thought about this, I have. Go, you will, to defend Master Skywalker’s fleet.”Obi-Wan nodded with a smile, almost expecting something of the sort to transpire. It wasn't a show of favoritism, Kenobi himself knew that Master Yoda was more than likely sending him in to control the situation in case it got out of hand which, knowing Anakin, it would. To him, what the Grandmaster was proposing simply made sense.“Leave immediately, you will, with Master Jarrus.”...Master Jarrus?Obi-Wan thought, tilting his head in confusion.“Find him in the gardens, you will.” He told him, changing his body so he could head down a larger hall as his cane tapped lightly against the floor....oOo...After what looks like a fatal crash, Kanan miraculously survives and somehow (by the will of the Force??) winds up in the past. He swears to himself that he's going to fix everything he can and try to stop Order 66 before it even happens.I try to update every 2nd Friday.





	1. Is this Death, or Rebirth?

Darkness.

That was the only thing he could see anymore.

There were no more sunsets, no more stars, no more watching from the cockpit as the Ghost went into hyperdrive. There was no more light. Only darkness.

Taking this mission was about the only thing he could do to take his mind out of his decaying thoughts. Besides, it's not like anyone on base trusted him with anything else these days. Now, that wasn't because they didn't want to, no, that was because he was glass. Fragile. Already broken.

Nobody wanted to break him more by giving him too much.

Everything was too much.

It was all just a constant reminder that he couldn't see anything. Couldn't... _do_ anything.

Every new world was dark. Every blink, was blank. Every meal was bland. His senses were overwhelmed to compensate for his lack of sight. His ears would ring at every whisper. His nose could smell fields from miles away. Everything he touched was too coarse, too much. And worst of all was the Force. It was always strong within him, and he could never properly control all of it, so all he did was practice the same thing since his master had given her life for him. That worked for years but now, now it was overflowing. Bursting at the seams of his core was energy upon energy, trying to burst free.

He would often walk out into the desert, beyond the giant sand crabs and just...practice. Let go in ways he had never dreamed of, and finally see, for the first time in decades, what his master meant when she told him he was made for something greater, that he was made to _be_ great.

It wasn't all so bad anymore. It had been months since he had allowed himself to do anything other than simple supply runs, but meeting with Bendu...talking to someone with power beyond him, with a clear head and control, helped him realize that even though right now he needed to travel his own path, doesn't mean he has to be alone.

He may have lost his sight, but there are other ways to see, other ways to fight...there are other ways to save lives.

Right now was supposed to be one of those times.

A few hours ago, he had talked Hera into letting him go on a small rescue mission by himself. He was supposed to get one boy, on some backwater planet, rendezvous back with the Ghost, since he was taking the Phantom, and go back to Chopper Base. Easy, simple, done. They had run countless missions like this, and it was all clockwork.

This time...something went wrong.

 

 

...oOo...

 

 

_He was headed to the planet, the hyperdrive was fully functional, nothing was damaged and everything felt...calm._

_It was unsettling, so it was only fitting that something happened to him._

_"I should have seen this coming. Everything leading up to this mission was calm, too calm and that should have been a warning. It was clear as day and I shook it off!"_

_"You couldn't have known, Kanan! There was no way you could have seen this coming."_

_"Yeah, you can say that again..." he mumbled, spitting out bitter words to the twilek. He couldn't have "seen" this coming._

_"That's **not** what I meant, and you know it."_

_All of a sudden, there was static between the couple, through the transmission Kanan could vaguely hear voices coming through. Hera was fading away from him now._

_"Hera? Hera, do you copy?"_

_"Ka - KRSSSHHH - you're cu - KRSSSHHH - off! Repea - KRSSSHHH - ansmission!"_

_"Hera?! Hera! I have turbulence, do you copy?! I repeat, I have turbulence at hyperspace, do you copy?"_

_" KRSSSHHH-"_

_"Hera! Do you copy?"_

_There was nothing but static and silence on her end, so Kanan reached for the radio to try and adjust the station, and instead, heard something he never expected._

_Blasterfire._

_"-ld them here! Watch your left!"_

_"I can't shake them, I'm hit!"_

_"Where's my reinforcements?!"_

_There was gunfire, and crashes, and chaos. He could hear blasters, and ships all around him and it was all so sudden, he couldn't breathe._

_It was a sensation he had never felt before. His gut pulled, and twisted. His head pounded as he swayed in his seat. The sudden turbulence stopped, as did the Phantom, but he was not where he was supposed to be._

_He was in the middle of a war._

_He could always feel in the force, his friends and family, but now there was nothing but silence, and destruction in his mind._

_He could hardly bear it._

_Slowly, he slid out of his seat and headed to the trash bin. He needed to empty his stomach, and since he was so concerned for his twisted gut, he didn't pay attention to the wayward missile headed his way._

_The Phantom was hit, Kanan thrown around like a rag doll, passed out from the sudden impact, he didn't know his ship was bound for the planet below him._

_That, was how he woke to this world. Bloody, hurt, and alone, with nothing but the darkness all around him._

 

 

...oOo...

 

 

Go

Go

_Go_

_Go!_

" _GO_!"

Kanan woke with a gasp, and a silent scream stuck in his throat. It was a miracle he wasn't dead, or injured, but right now there were more pressing matters at hand. His foot was caught under the debris the Phantom made when it crashed, and he could hear gunfire and explosions outside. Wherever he was, it was a battlefield, and he didn't know whether he crashed in enemy territory, or allies. So, he regulated his breathing and waited...

"Great! Someone's crashed and they're back!" He could hear someone yell from the confines of his hull of a ship.

"I told you this victory was way too easy! We never should have sent the ship back for supplies." Another, older voice, parried back.

_Hm, they almost sound like me and Ezra..._

"Hey, it wasn't my idea to send the ship back."

"All right men, we've got a second wave incoming." The older man continued as if the younger person beside him didn't just make a valid argument. "Rex, you and your men follow Anakin. Cody, you and I are going to check the crash for survivors while your men get into battle positions."

"Aye, General. Men, up to the front!"

Kanan couldn't believe his ears, for a second he thought he heard the General say Anakin, Rex, and Cody. He had to be dreaming, because if he wasn't, that would mean that he was back-

A sudden explosion rocked the ship, causing more debris to fall onto his injured leg. Kanan couldn't stifle his sharp cry, giving away his position to the person who was currently shuffling through the Phantom. He could hear marching, and running, and panting. The people looking for him in the wreckage were struggling to lift heavy objects, but the man...the man that was with them, was so bright in the Force, Kanan couldn't help but relax. He hadn't felt someone's presence this bright since his master...

Whatever was put there right now was a battlefield, and his head hurt more with each death, but he couldn't help but smile. Someone, somewhere, a Jedi was alive.

He finally had hope again.

"Sir, we found something!"

"He's still alive!"

"Well, don't just stare, help me out of this mess!" Kanan couldn't help but banter back. The man above him chuckled, and Kanan could feel himself smiling back as they used the Force to lift the metal off of him.

_"Force, the man's blind!"_

_"No wonder he crashed.."_

"Now, the man may be blind, but he's not deaf." The Force user told his troops behind him. Kanan couldn't help but chuckle lightly at him. "My friend, that looked like a terrifying crash. How are you feeling?"

"Shaken up, but otherwise alright. If you don't mind filling me in on what's happening here..?" the man before him nodded, and Kanan could tell that he was flustered for a second before he opened his mouth to respond, but someone else beat him to it.

"I don't understand...sir, Skywalker should have attacked by now!" Cody yelled in confused fear, standing in front of the General, acting like a shield as he helped pull Kanan from the rubble. He was shooting at something in the distance, but from where he now stood, he couldn't tell what.

"Don't worry Cody, he knows the plan." He heard the man above him respond before turning back to him. "I'm afraid I've yet to introduce myself. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi, and you are..?"

"Kanan. Kanan Jarrus."

They clasped arms as Obi-Wan helped him up. He could tell just from the tension in the air that it wasn't all from the chaos around them. He could feel the stares of the ones around him, their eyes locked on his face.

His mask, the one that Sabine had made him was gone, knocked off in the crash with no hope of recovery. Right now it was long gone and there were more pressing matters at hand.

"I'm sorry, Kanan, but you're going to have to come with me. Civilians have already cleared the city, but for the moment? The safest place for you is with us, especially in your condition."

"I'm blind Obi-Wan, I can still walk."

"Not on that ankle, you can't."

"Hm...good point."

"But sir, he'll slow us down-" one other the troopers behind him interrupted, shooting in between every breath.

"He won't slow us down more than Anakin on a good day, and we can't leave him here. If we survive, that is."

"When do we not sir?"

"Come on men, every shot counts!" Kanan briefly heard the familiar voice drawl before yet another person was interrupting him.

"Take it down!" They screamed as blasters upon blasters were fired at the metal monstrosity. He couldn't see it, but it had to be as tall as the walkers he'd fought in the past, and 10 times as deadly. He could feel the top spin with every strike, making it nearly impossible to find a weak spot in its underbelly. He growled softly at the thought of surviving the crash only to die among these men, these strangers. He wouldn't take this defeat.

He stood up slowly, putting little weight on his wounded ankle and calmly brushed off the grime from the crash. He heard Obi-Wan turn to look at him before apparently deeming him ready for battle, and with a cry, lifted his saber, and took action.

"Come on men!"

"You heard him! Chaaaaarge!" Cody screamed in fury, finally leading his men into the fray as the Jedi Master stayed behind to protect Kanan from enemy fire.

Kanan, not one to blindly follow orders, hesitated before reaching for his lightsaber attached to his belt. Only, when he went to grab it, he realized that his clasp was empty.

He heard grunting and screaming as the men who had just saved his life, valiantly gave theirs for the war in front of them. Kanan turned his head in silence, and continued looking for his weapon.

While he was preoccupied, he felt Obi-Wan shift in front of him, beautifully twisting and turning his saber to block blasts and take down the droids nearest to them. Kanan was grateful that this was the man who saved him for a brief moment before he managed to find his own lightsaber. He sighed in relief as the familiar hilt seemed to hum in his hands.

Though, this time, he didn't put his saber back on its hilt.

It seemed as though, this whole time, he could feel everyone's Force signature, yet no one from what he could tell, could feel his. He continued to occupy himself by searching through the rubble for his wooden box that contained both holocrons while the Jedi Master before him continued to dance with the enemy.

Then, there was three large crashes, all within seconds of each other, and Kanan could only hear in wonder as the three metal monstrosities, fell and died. He felt Obi-Wan pause in his fight to look up at the other Jedi as he gracefully jumped off the last of the machines and dodged enemy fire.

"We're gonna need reinforcements." The other man said as he walked up to the duo. Kanan stopped so suddenly when he heard his voice because he sounded and felt _so much_ like Anakin Skywalker that all doubt on where he was suddenly vanished. He shuddered visibly as it finally dawned on him where exactly he was.

_I'm back..._

 

_______

 

 

"We haven't been able to get through to the admiral." Obi-Wan boldly stated as he deflected blaster shots like they were nothing but pesky flies.

He felt a shift in the air. The droids hesitated with every next shot they took, until one by one they slowly put down their blasters.

"They're retreating." Kanan mumbled, cocking his head to one side as he tried listening to the voice relaying information to the droids, but all he heard was static and shots still being fired.

"How do you-" Anakin started to say to him, but got interrupted by one of the droids closer to them.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

"...They're pulling back." The younger Jedi turned away from him and watched in wonder as his prophecy came true. The droids were running away, but he could feel it in his gut that this fight wasn't finished.

"This isn't over..." he whispered, more to himself this time, though he was sure that Anakin still heard him as he turned fully and stared walking next to his master.

One of the clones that survived the battle hooked his arm around his waist and helped him walk away from the rubble before them.

"Looks like help has arrrived." Obi-Wan said with a smile as a ship flew overhead and landed a block away from the group. Kanan held on to his box tighter as the thought of one of the elders being in the shuttle popped up in his head, but quickly dismissed it. He shook his head, trying to get rid of those thoughts as he limped towards the cruiser with the help of the clone next to him, and continued to listen to the Jedi before him. "Our cruiser must be back."

"Which means we'll be able to get our reinforcements."

"Well, then, it looks like our problems are solved-"

"Fresh troops, new supplies-"

"-and perhaps they've brought my new Padawan with them." Kanan could hear the excitement in Obi-Wan's voice. 

"Do you think it's a good idea to bring a Padawan learner into all this?"

" I spoke to master Yoda about it. You should put in a request for one! You'd make a great teacher."

"No thanks."

"Anakin, teaching is a privilege, and it's part of a Jedi's responsibility to help train the next generation."

"A Padawan would just slow me down."

They stopped walking to watch in silence as the carrier opened to reveal-

"A youngling?"

"And who are you supposed to be?" Anakin asked quite rudely, but Kanan was no longer paying attention to the Jedi in front of him.

He managed to take a step back with a gasp since who walked before him was...

_No...it can't be. I-it...._

_It can't be..._

"I'm-"

" _Ahsoka_..." He felt faint, just being in her presence, feeling her Force signature again after what happened at the Sith temple made him sway. His knees buckled, and he grabbed his head. What had merely been a headache was now a full blown migraine, and as he fell to his knees, he saw her in flashes in his mind. He saw her just as he remembered, and it was too much. The pain, the grief, her pure, brightness in the force was...

"Too much...it's too much..." _it's too much.._

"Yeah...master Yoda sent me. I was told to tell you both that you must get back to the Jedi temple immediately."

Just as he was about to fall forward, he felt arms surround him. He was shaking, bad, and he couldn't speak no matter how hard he tried.

He reached for his shirt, trying to pull down the collar of his shirt, but his arms were too heavy and he was shaking too badly. He couldn't move.

_He couldn't breath._

"Jarrus! Anakin, help me hold him."

Everything going. Around him clouded up, as if he were in a fog. His eyelids were fluttering in time with his rapid heart.

"What happened?" The red togruta asked, concern lacing her voice, yet no one had an answer.

"I don't know! Jarrus? Jarrus!" Obi-Wan was screaming.

He couldn't understand why.

"Somebody keep him leveled!"

"Jarrus? Jarrus! _Kanan_!"

" _Kanan_!"

"Masters, there's an emergency."

"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but we're in a bit of an emergency right here."

_"Kanan?"_

_That...that sound like..._

"Ezra?"

"Who's Ezra? Kanan?!" He could hear Obi-Wan above him, but the words and the people around him were starting to drift away.

_"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi-"_

"-we need a medic!" A trooper spoke, clear through the haze, and it sounded _so_ familiar. They all did. Ha didn't know why.

"Somebody hold down his arms!" The same voice, but it was someone else speaking. Or at least he thought it was. He couldn't tell.

"Masters, what's happening?" The young girl asked, frightened.

"He's having a vision."

"While he's awake? Master, that's never happened before!" Obi-Wan ignored his ex-Padawan, keeping his eyes trained on the fallen man before him.

"Kanan, this is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi-"

_"Master Obi-Wan Kenobi-"_

Frightened voices were screaming above him now. They didn't know what to do.

"I'm going to try and enter his mind to calm him down." The deep voice proclaimed before a he saw a sliver of light in his mind.

"Master, that's dangerous!"

At this point he couldn't recognize anything, his seizing was too strong, and he only struggled harder as the man before him slipped completely into his mind. Unfortunately, it seemed to only make his Force vision stronger.

_"I regret- I regret to inform you. This message is a warning to any surviving- to any surviving-"_

_"This message-"_

There was a loud, pain filled gasp above him before the man too, fell completely into the vision.

_"This message is a **warning** -"_

_There was Ezra with another Jedi holocron, in a star fighter._

_A magnaguard, throwing Chopper into crates._

_Geonosis, destroyed._

_Looking through the rubble of a hollowed planet._

_"The empire is hiding something! Something important-"_

_"We'll deal with it. They can't keep it hidden forever."_

_"I just hope it won't be too late."_

_Droids, and war, and rebels and death. So much death._

He thrashed, throwing people as far as he could with the force

 _"There's a rebel spying on me. Code name Fulcrum." Thrawn's cool voice drawled, his r_ _ed eyes blazing in the cool vacuum of space._

_"We're building an alliance."_

_"This is our rebellion."_

_Star destroyers, bigger than anyone he'd ever seen, sending waves upon waves of TIE fighters. There were too many. Too much._

It was all just... _too much_.

_"A coordinated attack by multiple rebel cells is unprecedented."_

_There was Rex, brave Rex, fighting the same war, and smiling._

_**Warning.** _

_"They revealed their meager defenses, and it's exactly the moment I've been waiting for."_

_"I should let them know we're coming so they don't shoot us down."_

"Sabine..." his beautiful Mandalorian daughter, still fighting.

_Always fighting._

_He couldn't breathe._

"I hear fluid! His lung is collapsing! Somebody hold him down now!"

"I'm sorry about this!" Was that the trooper, or the Jedi? 

_Master Skywalker?_

There was a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest before he managed to take in a deep, greedy breath.

He screamed

_**Warning.** _

_The darksaber._

_"Once people know you have it, you will be challenged. You've got to use everything you have. Together."_

_A desert planet._

_Twin suns setting in the distance._

_"I'm fighting for you, and for everyone else, not to lose what they've got!"_

_**Warning.** _

_**Warning.** _

_Voices, overlapping. Chaos all around him. Fights, and blood, and blasters._

_This is the war that makes or breaks our future._

_"We will show the galaxy what happens to those who_ dare _speak **against** the Emperor."_

_"Not if I can help it."_

"Zeb!"

_**Warning.** _

_**Warning.** _

_**Warning.** _

_"We'll never surrender to you Thrawn!"_

"Hera..."

_"I'm not accepting surrenders. I want complete and utter defeat, crashing down upon you."_

_**Warning.** _

_**Warning.** _

Someone else, a younger man, was speaking. He could hardly make out the words.

"Stay with me Jarrus, Obi-Wan...come on you guys, stay with me."

Explosions, so loud. The rebellion, fighting for the future and a broken dream.

_**"Warning all surviving- all surviving Jedi-"** _

_._

_._

_._

_”...You’re in the wrong place....”_


	2. Backed Against the Wall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanan, not one to sit idle and do nothing, embarks on a journey through the middle of a war zone. Literally. After meeting four very influential people that are vital to the future safety of the world, he manages to gain the trust of the soul survivor, General Obi-Wan Kenobi. 
> 
> All he has to do is survive the battle without giving away what he truly is. But can he make it through without his secrets being revealed? Will he lose the trust of the General, and gain that of the others? He's not sure, but if he makes it out alive not only will he have to answer to Anakin, but have a very serious conversation with Obi-Wan as well. 
> 
> Now, if only his recklessness could keep him safe.

"Our communications have been a bit unreliable. We've been calling for help this entire time." Anakin's voice was clear through the haze, ringing like alarm bells to the troubled minds. Obi-Wan and Kanan's heads were both pounding from the massive Force vision the had just shared only moments ago.

"Master Yoda hasn't heard from you. That's why he sent me, to deliver the message." The two could also distinguish Ahsoka's voice cut through.

Obi-Wan was the first out of the fallen duo to sit up. He did so slowly, trying to balance himself and gather his thoughts before confronting his ex-Padawan and his new one. By the look of things, they didn't even realize that he was even awake, too submerged in their conversation.

"Oh, great! So they don't even know we're in trouble." Anakin replied sarcastically, causing the youngling to merely roll her eyes.

"Well, maybe you can relay a signal through the cruiser that just dropped me off." She stated in a similar fashion. Obi-Wan could tell that Anakin was getting wound up, and if he didn't diffuse the situation right now, things would quickly get out of hand.

"Anakin, lower your voice. I've only just woken up, you know." He was glad to see both of their stunned faces turn to him, and mumble out apologies to him like they were children caught stealing sweets from their father.

" _Ah!_  Karabast, my head..." the trio heard Kanan mumble from where he was laying on the ground. The bearded Jedi was the first of the three to walk up and offer assistance, and chuckled lightly when the blind man gladly used him as a crutch.

This time, when Kanan woke, it was slow and foggy, but almost immediately someone was helping him on his feet and walking him over to a circular holo-table.

For a brief moment, Kanan almost forgot where he was. That lasted until Anakin spoke to his former Master and broke him out of whatever spell he was just cast under.

"Master! How are you feeling?"

"Like utter Bantha droppings. How long have we been out?" The older Jedi asked, already trying to gauge what happened in the small amount of time they were unconscious.

"Not long. Six minutes at most. We were just about to call the fleet to see if they could patch us through to the Jedi Temple." Anakin was leaning against the holo-table now, both hands wrapped around the ends of it and no longer standing to his full height since his troops were busy. His posture was very relaxed even though he was standing in the middle of rubble and junk.

"Hmm...you do that while I gather my bearings. I'll join you as soon as I can."

He nodded and rushed to the carrier to try and get a signal through while Ahsoka followed him to speed things along. Obi-Wan smiled to himself but kept his sights on the man next to him. Kanan, although standing, was squirming. He was clearly uncomfortable being around the youngling for some odd reason, so he was glad that she decided to follow his ex-Padawan. It gave them time to talk about more pressing matters.

"Be still, my friend. You'll be in good hands soon enough." Obi-Wan said softly to Kanan. He didn't want to be overheard by a Clone or have the conversation be picked up by Anakin or Ahsoka.

"I don't...what happened?" Kanan asked, his mind still reeling.

"You had a strong Force vision and collapsed. I tried entering your mind to help relieve you of the energy flowing through you, but I was sucked in as well."

"So...so you saw what I-"

"Yes." Obi-Wan's face was grim, Kanan could tell from the tone of his voice. His voice was still just as firm when he responded with a quick "I did."

Kanan was about to respond with some half-assed explanation and try to say he didn't know what he just saw, but before he could say anything Anakin cut him off.

"Master! I managed to patch us through the transmitter on the ship so we can see the holo on the table!"

"Alright Anakin!"

"...we'll talk later." Kanan mumbled to him before stepping out of the frame of the holo. He could feel the confusion rolling off of the younger two in waves, and briefly heard Obi-Wan say something about civilians interfering with Jedi affairs.

Since his hearing was infinitely better than a standard human's, he only went as far as necessary for someone with normal senses before he sat in a meditative position and eavesdropped.

 _"-we're under attack by separatist warships, but I'll try to make contact with the Jedi Temple. Stand by."_ It was the same familiar voice that for some reason, he couldn't pinpoint.

_  
Was it too familiar? Or were they all the same?_

They all waited in silence for the transmission to be patched through to the Jedi temple, and he could hear the three by the holo-table sigh in relief when Master Yoda appeared on screen.

 _"Master Kenobi, glad Ahsoka found you, I am."_ Kanan could hear the smugness in the troll's voice from where he sat, and couldn't help but smirk. He remembered Master Yoda from when he was a youngling, always sneaking treats and speaking the funny little way that he did. It was the one thing he would always remember about him.

"Master Yoda, we are trapped here and greatly outnumbered." He heard Obi-Wan speak before pausing to take a quick breath. "We are in no position to go anywhere or do anything. Our support ships have all been destroyed, and most of our men are either wounded or dead."

_"Send reinforcements to you, we will-"_

"Master Yoda..." Obi-Wan was screaming frustratedly at the holo but the transmission was already cutting off, like someone was jamming the signal. "Master Yoda!"

 _"I'm sorry sirs, but we've lost the transmission-"_ the holo went back to the Clone, and he listened as the apology was cut off by another one running up to the transmission.

_"We have to leave orbit immediately! More enemy ships have arrived. We can't fight them all off!"_

_"We'll get back as soon as we can."_

"I guess we'll just have to hold out a little longer then." Kanan mumbled as he moved to stand up. His head was still pounding from the massive Force vision, but it was significantly less from when he first woke. His limbs did ache though, and he could feel bruises already forming where they had to inject him to take out the fluid out of his lung, but for what it was worth, he's had worse.

"What is he doing?" Anakin hissed to Obi-Wan as Kanan walked over to the three of them. Obviously he didn't think that he could hear him since Kanan could feel his shock when he responded.

"What does it look like I'm doing." Kanan replied briskly. He could feel anger pouring off Anakin and for a moment he felt so _dark_ , and so _cold_ , and the feeling was so _familiar_ , but it only lasted a second before he heard Anakin take a deep breath and look to his former Master.

"Obi-Wan, can I talk to you for a second." There was a growl in his voice, but instead of responding, the Jedi Master simply raised his hand to silence his old Padawan, and walked up to the Togruta youngling.

"My apologies, young one. I believe it's time for a proper introduction."

Kanan could hear her shuffle her feet nervously before she straightened her back and looked to the older Jedi.

"I'm the new Padawan learner, Ahsoka Tano."

"I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, your new Master." He bowed to her, and he could feel the nervousness turn into confusion before she stepped back to bow, but when they both stood back up, she hesitated. Picking her words carefully as to not cause confusion, she looked at the three of them before settling her eyes on Obi-Wan once more.

"I'm... _at your service_ Master Kenobi, but I'm afraid I've actually been assigned to Master Skywalker." Ahsoka pointed at Anakin standing to Obi-Wan's left, and Kanan couldn't help but laugh out loud at the way he heard the young Jedi respond.

" _What?!_ No, no, no, no, no. There must be some kind of mistake! _He_ wanted the Padawan."

"I'm sorry, but Master Yoda was very specific. I have been assigned to Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker, and he is to supervise my Jedi training."

"That doesn't make any sense-"

"We'll have to sort this out later." Obi-Wan interrupted their conversation/almost argument for the second time that day, and Kanan felt himself nod to him before he stepped forward and spoke.

"Yeah, it won't be long before those droids figure out a way around those cannons you've got." Kanan threw his hand up and pointed his thumb towards the general direction of the blaster cannons they had before crossing his arms across his chest and 'looking' at the three before him. For another brief moment, he felt that sliver of _cold **wrong** dark_ before Obi-Wan nodded, and opened his mouth to add to his comment-

"I'm gonna go check on Rex and the lookouts.." Anakin interrupted, the feeling gone and frustration taking its place. Kanan shook his head as if to rid himself of the familiarity.

"You'd better take her with you, Anakin. After all, she is your new Padawan." Kanan and Obi-Wan both glanced at each other for a brief moment before chuckling at Anakin as he grumbled and stomped away from them. Ahsoka on the other hand, was excited about being able to learn from her new Master, and trotted after Anakin happily.

"Bye Master Kenobi, Mister Jarrus." She waved back at them. Obi-Wan returned the Wave while Kanan merely put up his hand in greeting.

"We'll see you soon!" He joked, causing the young Togruta to giggle as she finally caught up with Skywalker.

"Was that a blind joke, Jarrus?"

"Why, yes Kenobi, yes it was."

 

 

...oOo...

 

 

It seemed like only moments passed before Separatist tanks and droids started rolling in. There was a humming energy surrounding the entire army and Kanan could do nothing but assume that there was an energy shield up around their enemies. He heard a muffled curse behind him as he turned back to the General.

Kanan took a small step back as Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex jogged up to the holo-table that he was previously leaning on.

"The shield generator is somewhere in this area." Obi-Wan stated as he waved his hand on top of the middle left hand side of the table. Kanan stepped up and pointed to where he thought the hologram was.

"As you can _see-_ " heheard a faint snort to his right, and he smirked back at Rex before turning his attention back to the table _._ "-they are slowly increasing the diameter of the shield and keeping it just ahead of their troops." 

"Heavy cannons are going to be useless against that." Rex said, and Kanan could feel himself nodding before he placed his hands on the edge of the table and leaned in as of to call everyone in closer. As his body language suggested, he felt the four of them shift forward a step and turn their bodies to face him.

"When they get closer, we can try to draw them into the surrounding buildings. That might level the playing field just enough for us to get a drop on them." He could feel the excitement in the air as he started to lay out his plan. "The only problem is the shield is still going to stay up, and if it's as big as I think it is, only heavy explosives are going to be able to bring it down."

"Then let's just take it out." Ahsoka offered, her young naivety showing, as well as her inexperience. Kanan shook his head at her suggestion and turned his head to face her.

"That's easier said than done."

"I, for one, agree with her." Anakin argued back, his posture extremely protective over his Padawan that he didn't even want in the first place. "Someone has to take that shield generator out of the picture. That's the key to winning this." 

Kanan stiffened as the rude response was directed at him, and turned to face the young Jedi.

"Right, then maybe you two can tiptoe into enemy lines and solve this particular problem together." Obi-Wan suggested in a stern voice before anything could come from the comment. Kanan sighed, his posture relaxing as he stepped back from Anakin and allowed Obi-Wan to step between them.

"Can do Master Kenobi!"

"I'll decide what we do." Anakin hissed, but Ahsoka merely smiled widely at her master and turned her attention back to General Kenobi.

"If Kanan, Rex and I can lead them here, you two might have a chance to pass through undetected."

"They won't have much time, General. The droids far outnumber us and we'll be taking an unarmed civilian into the middle of a war zone."

"Trust me, I can hold my own." Kanan assured, standing to his full height and crossing his arms across his chest. He leaned, just barely into Rex's space and nodded at Obi-Wan when he turned to face him.

  
The way things have gone so far, Kanan didn't think that any of them knew he was a Jedi. He concentrated for a moment, trying to gouge out where the holocrons were, and puffed out an inaudible sigh when he still felt them where he put the box, by the shuttle Ahsoka had arrived in.

"Trust you... like we know you can be trusted at all..." Anakin mumbled. He said it so low that anyone with normal hearing wouldn't be able to pick up the comment, but Kanan did. He didn't do anything more than twitch his head to Anakin for a second before turning it back to Rex.

"Our ability to street fight will be useless without the use of our heavy cannons. They'll just march over under the protection of the shield."

"We can still draw them over to us and give them an opening." Kanan replied before Obi-Wan commented.

"As long as Ahsoka and Anakin are able to get through and knock out the shields, everything else will fall into place."

"We'll figure out a way to knock out the shield. Come on Master, let's go!" She bounded away, her lanky legs taking massive strides in the opposite direction of the men still around the table.

"If we survive this Jarrus, you and I are going to have a talk." Anakin growled, pointing a finger at the blind man before he looked to his former master. His anger faded away before he nodded at Obi-Wan and yelled at Ahsoka to slow down. She smiled at him before they both started to run in the direction of the approaching army.

 

 

...oOo…

 

 

"All that kriffing shield is doing is making my bad day _ten times worse_!" Kanan yelled at Obi-Wan as the droid army got closer and closer. He flinched every time one of the blaster cannons were fired and grew more and more frustrated as they seemed to be doing _absolutely nothing_.

"Even at full power, the cannons don't seem to be doing any damage." Obi-Wan managed to yell back between cannon fire. He brought his binoculars back up to his face just as Rex approached them.

"Well, it was worth a try!" The Clone yelled at the two, seeming to catch their brief conversation.

"Tell the men to fall back!" Kenobi ordered, turning to grab Kanan's arm where he stood from only a few feet behind him, and started to make his way into the hollow buildings.

"Come on, everybody! Fall back and head to the buildings!"

They managed to climb their way up to a half blown up building before the droids saw them, and crouched behind the rubble so they could pass through the shield without any problem. Once they were through, Rex walked over to them and waited for General Kenobi's orders.

"We're inside the shield. Stay away from the tanks and focus on the cannon fodder they call droids."

"Yes sir." the Clone responded with a nod as he checked his blaster.

"Kanan, you stay with Rex, I'll only be a moment." He finished he orders by standing from where he was crouched behind the rubble, taking about 10 steps back, and diving out of the hole in the building and landing into the fray.

He heard the men around him shoot out grappling hooks to the ground, and latched on to their handles as they rode the rope down, firing their blasters at the droids.

_"A Jedi! Blast him!"_

Kanan could hear the sharp hum of Obi-Wan's lightsaber as he took out enemy after enemy, and his hand twitched in anticipation. He wanted to be down there. He wanted to fight. And he'll be damned if he let another person treat him like glass.

_I'm not sitting this one out! Today, I fight._

He stood up from behind the rubble of the building, and walked towards the edge of the massive hole.

He reached his hand into his pocket and grabbed his lightsaber, but he did not ignite it. Instead, he took one more step, until only the balls of his feet were on the edge of the building, spread his arms out, "Hey, Jarrus where are you- _JARRUS_!" and jumped.

 

 

...oOo...

 

 

As he was falling, Kanan turned to avoid blaster fire, landed in a crouched position, and in the blink of an eye his saber was out and slicing down droid after droid until they were dropping like flies. He twisted, and turned, and danced gracefully against a dangerous enemy with a weapon in his hands. His blade was almost like an extension of his arm, a bright green glow moving swiftly with him as his body on the battlefield. The pain of his swollen, broken ankle was almost nonexistent as he cleared a straight path through the middle of enemy forces.

He was almost by Obi-Wan by the time he stopped to take a quick breath. He jumped up, spinning mid air to deflect blaster shots away from the men behind him who seemed to have finally caught up, running straight through the pathway he just made for them. He was in his own clearing, so the men who rushed passed didn't see him get surrounded by Super Battle droids.

He listened closely as Rex spoke to Obi-Wan.

"They're right behind us Sir. Wiped out most of my men. We had to get out of there, but there's a problem."

He dove, a shot barely missing him and hitting the broken wall that separated him and the troops on the other side.  
  
"The shield has almost reached the heavy cannons and...we've lost Jarrus."

"Move your troops back to the canons. Do everything you can to protect them! I'll delay the droids and find Jarrus!" General Kenobi screamed over the shots being fired at them. Rex hesitated, shifting his weight.

"But-"

"That's an _order_ Captain!" Rex nodded, barely managing to escape with his men before Super Battle droids were upon them. He heard Obi-Wan's saber go through the chest of one before he stood up and deflected their shots away from the troops.

He was too focused on them to realize that the Super Battle droids surrounding him were getting closer but not firing at him. They knocked his saber out of his hand and grabbed him by the arms, leading him to the clearing where Obi-Wan also stood, surrounded.

He was forcibly dragged, pain in his ankle that was fine during the fighting finally flaring up as they moved him. He hissed in pain, every step worse than the last.

There was a horrible creaking noise coming from the tank behind him. The top opening clanked open, and coming out of it was the oily stench of the droid army General.

"You must be the infamous General Kenobi!" He spat, accent thick. It was obvious in his voice that he didn't speak basic all that often, but it didn't stop him from gloating.

Obi-Wan shifted his stance, raising his lightsaber just a tad before tensing, but just as he was about to strike the General spoke once more.

"Ah! I wouldn't do that! You make any move towards me and my men and your friend here won't make it to see tomorrow." He threatened, signaling the Super Battle droids that were holding him to raise their weapons. Kanan tensed as their blasters turned towards him humming with energy, ready to strike at any moment.

He struggled in their grasp.

"I already won't see tomorrow, I'm _blind_ you kriffin' piece of Bantha-" He snarled at the General atop the tank.

"Shut it, you!" He managed to get an arm free of one of the droids, but just as he went to move forward another droid came up to him and swung their blaster, hitting him in the stomach hard. He fell to the ground, wheezing for breath, ribs aching as they were bruised by the blaster.

"Surrender Mister Kenobi...or _he_ _dies_."

Kanan stayed down.

"...I surrender."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise!! I posted this chapter a day earlier than planned! I've had it ready for publication the past 2 days, and I've gone back and looked over my work in that time to fix any mistakes that might have been in it, but if you see a typo please mention it in the comments!
> 
> Anyways, my lovelies, I would like you to know that I'm only posting this early because I won't have time to put it up tomorrow. I'm leaving on vacation for a week, but the next chapter should (emphasis on the SHOULD) be posted by January 27th. If it's not, the latest it will be up is the 30th.
> 
> I'd like to say thank you to all the wonderful people who gave kudos to my story and commented on the first chapter. I have one more work under my sleeve and it got as much as it did in 6 months and you all have almost surpassed that in only a week. I was shocked when I saw that so many people were reading and liking my story, so that's one more reason I'm posting early. It's already been a week for all you amazing people.
> 
> This one's for you guys!
> 
> -V
> 
> (Also, if you see another set of Chapter Notes under this one, ignore it.)


	3. Ricochet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to post this chapter! It's been a really busy two weeks and I feel terrible about not posting on time! I wish I could say that this chapter is long to make up for it, but I haven't really had the time to write. Work has been so busy recently and I haven't had a break in a while. This chapter is at least 3k like the others, and I was hoping for more, but chapter 4 you can expect a lot more from me. That's when you'll see subtle differences start to pop up from here and the show.

"They're right behind us Sir. Wiped out most of my men. We had to get out of there, but there's a problem."

Obi-Wan turned to Rex, and listened while the shield passes through them with no issue.  
  
"The shield has almost reached the heavy cannons and...we've lost Jarrus."

A small sense of fear jolted through him when he heard the last part of the Captains report, but he quickly put it behind him. Now was not the time to dwell on Jarrus.

_Where did he go?_

He nodded, looking at Rex and thinking for a moment while the droid army behind them moved closer.

"Move your troops back to the canons. Do everything you can to protect them! I'll delay the droids and find Jarrus!" General Kenobi screamed over the shots being fired at them. Rex hesitated, shifting his weight.

"But-"

"That's an order, Captain!" Rex nodded, barely managing to escape with his men before Super Battle droids were upon them. Rex heard Obi-Wan's saber go through the chest of one before he stood up and deflected their shots away from the troops.

Obi-Wan fought on, deflecting the shots on instinct while he reflected on the mystery man that they had saved earlier that day.

Kanan Jarrus was a strange fellow. Blinded horribly by what he could only assume was a lightsaber, and it was very apparent that it was recent, yet the pain that had to have still been lingering didn't seem to affect him. He was calm during the battle, and seemed to almost enjoy it, and Obi-Wan could clearly tell that he was holding himself back from fighting but why?

Why was that man so interesting to him? Was it because of his blindness, or his awareness to things around him even though he was blind? Was it his willingness to fight, or the fact that he was suppressing it? He knows battle strategies, and has obviously seen war, but which one? He holds himself like...like a Jedi Master, yet his mentality is that of a old Padawan, and the lines of his face speak as if he is one of the Elders on the council.

His clothes are...strange and futuristic much like the ship he crashed in.

And why in the world was a blind man flying a ship?

All of a sudden the battle droids in front of him stopped firing, which derailed his thoughts, making him focus on what was in front of him.

There was a horrible creaking noise coming from the tank in front of Obi-Wan. The top clanked open, and coming out of it was the oily General of the droid army.

"You must be the infamous General Kenobi!" He spat, accent thick. It was obvious in his voice that he didn't speak basic all that often.

Obi-Wan shifted his stance, raising his lightsaber just a tad before tensing, but just as he was about to strike the General spoke once more.

"Ah! I wouldn't do that! You make any move towards me and my men and your friend here-" The bug gestured at Kanan, who was forcibly being dragged into the clearing and pushed to his knees. "-won't make it to see tomorrow." He threatened, signaling the Super Battle droids that were holding him to raise their weapons.

He saw Kanan tense as their blasters turned towards him humming with energy, ready to strike at any moment.

Obi Wan watched as he struggled in their grasp.

He said something to the General, but Obi-Wan couldn't make out the words, but whatever it was seemed to have angered the bug.

"Shut it, you!" The General hissed at his companion. Kanan managed to get an arm free of one of the droids, but just as he went to move forward another droid came up to him and swung their blaster, hitting him in the stomach hard. He fell to the ground, wheezing for breath, ribs aching as they were bruised by the blaster.

"Surrender Mister Kenobi...or _he_ _dies_."

Kanan stayed down.

Obi-Wan didn't think twice before he spoke.

"...I surrender."

He saw Kanan flinch just the tiniest bit as the droid that hit the blind man started to walk towards him, then glared at the General and stood in tense silence as a droid took his lightsaber.

"Now Mister Kenobi, order your troops to stand down."

_Even if the troops stand down, the droids won't stop firing until they're given direct orders from the General._

_I need to stall._

Kanan moved from where he was on the floor, gathering the attention of Obi-Wan while the General's eyes were on him as well. He was huffing, breathing out harsh breaths to try and dull the pain though his face was pinched in pain. Obi-Wan hesitated, thinking for only a second before putting his newly formed plan into motion.

He reached out, feeling the Force move the rubble around him into a makeshift table before offering the _General_ a seat.

"General please, have a seat." He said calmly, internally laughing at the perplexed look ok the bugs face.

"Have you gone mad?!"

"I've... _conceded_ the battle. Now we just have to negotiate the terms of surrender."

"...don't try any of your tricks Master Jedi." The General said as he leaned back and went to walk out of the tank.

"Surely there's no reason why we can't be civilized about this."

He waited patiently at his seat, waiting for the General to walk out of his tank to have a seat before he sat down himself. As he's stepping down the ramp, a small droid follows him out taking small steps beside him. Obi-Wan watches, not betraying a single emotion as the separatist scum walks over to Kanan before looking at him.

"Remember the price before you decide to do anything... _foolish_."

Obi-Wan wanted to glare. He wanted to jump over there and grab Kanan and run, but he knew if he made a move toward his companion, they would both be killed without hesitation. Instead he waited, and watched as the General moved away from the blind man and sat down in front of him.

"It is a rare honor to be able to meet one's opponent face to face, Jedi."

"Thank you, General." Obi-Wan said, bowing his head politely with a friendly smile. "You yourself are a legend all throughout the inner core. I've heard many things about you."

"Thank you. I can honestly say the same." He smiled, relaxing into his seat again before speaking more quietly. "I'm so glad you decided to surrender. It would have been a shame to rid the galaxy of such an opponent."

"Well, at some point, one must accept the reality of the situation." He cleared his throat, coughing. "Would it be too forward of me to ask for a drink, and a seat for my friend?"

"Not at all. Droid! Bring us something liquid! And you, get him a seat but leave him over there! I don't want Kenobi getting any ideas."

Obi-Wan nodded his head, and smirked.

"This shouldn't take long."

 

  
...oOo...

 

  
Amidst the starry blackness of space, five humongous Star Destroyers appeared from hyperspace above Kristofsis. Inside the head of the fleet’s ship stood Grand Master Yoda of the Jedi Order, his small green form a stark difference against the dark inside of the ship.

Yoda's eyes were closed, in a weak meditation while he waited for the Admiral to inform him of the situation on the ground.

Ever since Yoda talked to Obi-Wan and Anakin, before the transmission cut off he had felt a small disturbance in the Force. It was something unlike anything he'd ever felt before. It wasn't shrouded in darkness like the Sith Lord, but it also wasn't something he could pin point either. It was as if they had just appeared out of nowhere, a muted grey.

It was strange, how quickly things had changed for them. The war he had envisioned over and over for many years started to change. The scenery was different, there was a presence, new and strong in the force, the strong sense of fear and failure, still there but _different_ somehow.

Whatever it was, he knew things were about to change. He just didn't know if it was for the better, or for the worse.

"-ve the cruisers protect the transports."

"Yes, sir."

"Admiral, hurry we must, if we are to aid General Kenobi." Yoda spoke, walking up to the Admiral of the fleet. Slowly, he reached him and the clone standing next to him and looked up as he started to respond.

"It will not be easy to breach the blockade, Master Yoda. It's what's stopped us reaching the surface the last time."

"Last time, not as many ships did you have. Get past it, we must." he hummed, nodding. They had to get down there. "Get past it...we will."

 

  
...oOo...

 

 

As he sat and waited for a drink, Obi Wan reflected on the chaos going on around him. He couldn't see, or hear everything going on around him, but with every passing moment he could feel his comrades dying. If he tried hard enough, he would know each person they lost today by name, and he couldn't stand that. He wouldn't stand for it.

They made small talk for a long while, waiting patiently while the droid that was sent to get drinks finally arrived, and poured him some thick purple liquid. As he stirred what was in his cup with the spoon that was also given to him he took a glance at the General.

"Once you gain custody of my troops, arrangements will need to be made for their food and shelter. Now, tell me, do you have enough supplies-"

“You blasted Jedi and your tricks!” The bug growled, annoyed at the long conversations that we're doing absolutely nothing. “You are stalling!” He accused, pointing a crooked finger at Kenobi.

“General, there are numerous details to be discussed-” he raised his glass and winked at the General, a smirk crossing his features.

The bug got angry. Growling at Obi-Wan, he stood up and held the edge of the debris they were using as a table, and in a burst of strength, flipped it.

"Seize him!" He snarled, gesturing at the Jedi. "Unless you call off your troops right now, I will have no choice but to destroy you!"

"Truthfully General, I was hoping your shields would down by now."Obi-Wan said calmly, looking at the General as he was lifted into the air by the Super Battle Droids, radiating calm.

Just as he said that, there was a small, almost inaudible explosion in the distance before the giant red bubble that surrounded the entirety of the droid army, shut down.

"Blasted Jedi! Droids, fire!"

Obi-Wan braced himself to jump out of the way of blaster fire when he realized which way the droids had their guns.

All of them, including the ones still holding him down, had their blasters pointed at, not himself, but Kanan.

He managed to get free from the two beside him by Force jumping high into the air, but right as he reached his hand out to call his saber to him, the droids started to fire.

" _NO!_ " He screamed, landing in a crouch begging the droids. He feared for the man he saved and heard a guttural scream coming from the blind man. For a moment Obi-Wan hung his head and in that split second of silence, four more droids managed to grab him once more and hold down his arms to the point of pain. He winced, growling at the General as blaster after blaster was shot at his friend.

He tried to look away-

"What in the-!"

-but he couldn't help but watch at the shocked tone the General used to exclaim his disbelief.

Kanan, the blind, unassuming civilian he came to save was still standing.

He had a single arm raised in front of him, his face contorted in a harsh glare despite the loss of his eyes and right in front of him, every shot that was aimed at him hung frozen in red tinted air.

There was an electric hum coming from the frozen blaster shots, the droids and the General stood in fear, and Obi-Wan could do nothing but stare in wide eyed disbelief as Kanan took a painful step forward and with one push of his arm, all of the blaster beams shot forward from the blind man. In a millisecond every droid fell to the ground in synch leaving only the General, and the one-two Jedi.

"Something appears to have happened to your shield, General." Kanan hissed at the scum he was now stalking towards. He was angry, oh so angry, and limping with every step he took, but once he got to the bug, Obi-Wan could do nothing but watch as he grabbed him by his robes and brought the General up to his snarling face.

Kanan then raised his hand, and in a moment and a flash of silver, a lightsaber lay in it, ignited.

"Next time, remember the price you pay before you decide to do anything... _foolish_." He hissed, holding his saber to the General’s throat.

 _"General Kenobi, if you can hear me, we're through the blockade."_ Obi-Wan could hear the Admiral’s voice emanating from his tunic, and broke his hold on the man. He reached into his tunic and pulled out his holo-chip to see the end of the transmission. _"The separatist armada is in retreat. Your reinforcements should be landing in a moment.”_

Right after the transmission finished, Obi-Wan took a glance at Kanan. He was shaking, angry, and pale. From where he was standing, he could see blood start to seep from the lower left hand side of his torso.

He was shot.

“Force! Jarrus, you're bleeding!” He expressed, finally breaking out of his stupor.

“Ah...that explains it…” Kanan mumbled, swaying. He looked faint and pale, but his tight grip on his saber remained at the throat of their enemy.

“Explains what?”

“The stabbing pain in my side.” He hissed. The General tried to struggle, and almost got loose, but before he could run away, Kanan gripped onto his shirt tighter.

It was then Obi-Wan decided to take his place. Standing up straight and walking over to the two, he grabbed his saber and clipped it to its holster. He reached over, placing his dominant hand on the blind man's shoulder before speaking softly.

“Kanan, I can secure the prisoner. You need to sit down.”

“No.” Kanan hissed a little too harsh, shaking his head. “I can _do this_.”

“I'm sure you're more than capable, but you've been wounded, and your strength is weakened. You need to rest.”

He could tell he didn't want to back away from the bug but eventually, after a few moments of silence, he nodded and stepped away.

Once they switched, he repositioned his hold on the prisoner. At this point, the General just gave up on trying to escape, not even struggling when he was passed over.

A small amount of time passed from when Kanan moved to sit down on what Obi-Wan was previously using as a chair before the transports arrived.

When he looked at the transport, Grand Master Yoda was there to greet him. He looked small compared to the clones that surrounded him, but no less intimidating. He looked serious. Far too serious for someone who had to bail out him and Anakin on many occasions.

_Something's wrong._

“Your timing is perfect Master Yoda.” He spoke in a soft tone, bowing his head in greeting as he let go of the prisoner and gestured for him to sit down on the floor. He went with no complaints.

“As always, it is General Kenobi.” He grunted as a friendly reply. He said no other words as Obi-Wan leaded the General into the transport, nodding his head at the younger Jedi as he walked past him, but Yoda did raise a single brow as Obi-Wan doubled back and helped the injured, blind civilian into the ship.

 

_____

 

 

Yoda watched the man Master Kenobi had brought with him onto the ship. He was pale, bleeding from the stomach by what he assumed was a stray blaster shot. No, that seemed unlikely. Those droids, no matter who they were shooting at, were programmed to kill and only to kill unless given orders. No shot would go that low on purpose.

Something was off about him. His Force signature was...stronger that average civilians, but clouded somehow. It was almost...a muted grey.

“Hmmm…” he hummed, looking away from the pair and closing his eyes in thought.

It took a few minutes to gather with the rest of the army, and after they got off the transport, everyone went their separate ways. He watched on as Obi-Wan took the blind man over to the Medics and walked away to talk to some of the clones in his unit.

Master Yoda walked over to him.

“Greetings. Master Yoda of the Jedi Order, I am.”

“I...it's a pleasure to meet you Master Yoda.” Kanan stuttered, paling further while the medics worked on his wounds. “My name is Kanan Jarrus.”

Yoda merely hummed in response and looked at the blind man in silence. He waited until his wounds were dressed to look at the Clone and gesture him to give them some privacy.

He walked up to the young man slowly, and sat on top of the crate Kanan was using as a chair. He got comfortable before speaking.

“Has changed things, your arrival has. Not entirely sure, I am, for the better. For now...not as dim things are starting to look.”

“I-I don't kno-”

“Fool me you cannot, _Master_ Jarrus.” Yoda looked at him with a smile, almost daring him to speak otherwise.

“...you know.” Kanan mumbled, relaxing into the crate for a moment before hissing. It was pulling at his makeshift stitches the Medic had just given him moments before.

“Know a great many things, I do. Who you are, I did not know. Where you came from, I do not know, but strong in the force you are, I do know.”

“To be honest Master Yoda...I can't tell you everything. I can only tell you that I'm here to _fix things_. I'd swear on my life if we weren't at war...to many things happen, there's too many risks.”

“Right, you are…” he reflected on all he saw between the two older Jedi, and hummed in thought. “A strong bond, you and Master Kenobi have. The reason, I know not, but belong at each others side you do...much like he and Master Skywalker.”

“...I can't explain my ease around him either. It's unsettling.” Kanan shivered at the thought of anything happening to the bearded Jedi, but also felt unease twisting in his gut at telling him anything about him. He was at a loss.

“Now I think, the Force knows the path for us to follow, is yours…” Yoda looked away, watching the clones march across the barren battlefield in front of them. “After you are healed, a request I have for you.”

Kanan brought up his head, listening to the wind rush in between the buildings and the trees.

“What do you need?”

“Toydaria, I am no longer going next...a test, instead, it will be for you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where I stray away from the movie. Sorry again for taking so long to post this. I had decided to just post on Friday instead of the 30th so I wouldn't have to rush to get out another chapter, but this took so long to write with everything going on and I sincerely apologize. 
> 
> I didn't like this chapter as much as I thought, but I hope you all enjoyed it.
> 
> (Again, if you see another set of chapter notes after this one, IGNORE THEM! They keep popping up on my computer so I don't know if you all can see them, but that set of notes was for chapter one, and chapter one ONLY)
> 
> -V


	4. Crippled by a Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanan gets a feel of what it's like in the Temple Med Bay, some friends pay a visit, and he finally embarks on his journey to Toydaria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, this chapter is shorter than the others by almost 1,000 words, but I was so excited to post it early that I didn't even bother writing extra. I was very happy with this chapter even though it's mostly sugar with a little bit of spice. 
> 
> I tried incorporating his mistrust towards clones that we see in Star Wars Rebels (that I have absolutely no rights to) and his ease around Obi-Wan and Rex. You will also see a little bit of Anakin in this chapter being the whiney baby that he is and then more fluff. 
> 
> And then finally, what you've all been waiting for....PLOT DEVELOPMENT. 
> 
> WOO ! 
> 
> I hope y'all like it :) 
> 
> -V

When Kanan woke up this time, it was to white noise and the stench of chemicals.

He was already transported to the hospital wing at the Jedi temple on Coruscant and had been there since nightfall. He couldn't rest the night before until he knew that Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Rex, and to a lesser state Anakin, had all returned safely from their mission to return Jabba's son, so he didn't end up going to sleep until they got to the temple later that morning.

No one had visited him yet, and he wasn't allowed to get out of the bed for another three days, but he wasn't complaining. He could use this time to meditate, and to make a plan.

Besides, he wouldn't be able to focus with them here.

While he was getting used to the steady beeps of the heart monitor, he sat up on his bed and got into a meditative position.

Straightening his back like his master taught him, he started to count his breaths.

_In...1...2...3…_

Being stranded on Coruscant in the beginning of the Clone Wars was the least of his worries compared to what was ahead of him.

He let go, his worries melting into the Force.

_Out...1...2...3…_

He focused on meditating, and letting all the noises around him fade until there was nothing but peace and silence in his mind.

_In...1...2...3…_

_Out...1...2...3…_

Every hour, without Kanan noticing, a nurse would come in and check his vitals, and Kanan would vaguely hear the taps as they recorded the same thing each hour on their data pads. It seemed like he was so far away from the world, only hearing muffled voices and noises through the fog in his mind.

_In...1...2...3…_

_Out…1...2...3…_

 

_______

 

 

He sat there in meditation for the whole day, not remembering to eat or sleep, too stuck in his trance to notice the world around him, and when he finally opened his eyes, the bright sun of a new day was rising in the sky.

Of course, he couldn't see it, but he could feel the warmth of the sun rays shining on his face.

Kanan smiled, basking in the sun, his mind finally at peace.

“You've been-”

“ _Karabast!!_ ” Kanan yelped, nearly jumping out of his skin at the unexpected noise. He nearly fell off the hospital bed, tense as his heart monitor skyrocketed and the pain in his side increasing.

“-meditating for quite some time, my friend.”

“Pffftt... _bwahaha_!!!” He heard Rex yowl out with laughter, doubling over and clutching his stomach. He heard fabric shifting, so he could only assume that Rex was out of his trooper uniform.

“ _Force_! Warn a guy before you sneak up on him!” Kanan hissed, wincing as his stomach muscles contracted in pain.

“You-you should have se-een your face!” Rex yelled, still laughing as he stood to his full height. He wiped the corners of his eyes since they were tearing up and slowly started to stop laughing but couldn't stop fully.

Obi-Wan was smiling, chuckling along with the Captain.

Kanan could only shake his head at their antics.

“What are you guys doing here. I thought you would be resting from your mission.”

“Yeah, we did that yesterday.”

“And, well, when you're trained to get up at the break of dawn, even when you try to sleep in you still manage to get up at the break of dawn.” Obi-Wan commented, causing the three of them to all chuckle lightly which started another round of giggling from the Army Captain.

“Yeah...I can understand that. Anyways, is there anything you nee- _Rex stop laughing!_ ” Kanan exclaimed, a smile etching its way onto his face as he listened to Rex chortle.

“I'm-I'm sorry. C-carry on.”

“...is there anything you need?” He said again, the clone finally composing himself. The atmosphere changed, becoming something lighter as the three of them relaxed and continued their easy conversation.

“No, after our day of rest we ran into each other and decided to pay you a visit to see how you were holdin’ up.”

“Well, I could be doing better, but I'm confined to at least three days of bed rest while the hole in my stomach heals up and the swelling on my ankle goes down with their... _whatever_ they're putting on me.”

“Just some bacta spread to stop infections and to speed up the healing process.” Obi-Wan said in a somewhat soothing tone, lifting the confusion from Kanan’s mind.

“Well, it's definitely working.”

“I'm glad-”

“Obi-Wan, may I speak with you for a moment... _privately_.” Anakin cut him off, making the three men in the room jump in surprise. It seemed as if none of them realized that Kenobi’s former Padawan was waiting by the door, but now that Kanan knew, he could feel the heat of the glare against the left side of his face.

He shifted uncomfortably on his bed.

“Of course, I'll be out in a moment.” Obi-Wan waved him off, a calm smile on his face though Kanan could feel the confusion radiating off of him through the Force. “Well, duty calls. I'll come visit you some other time.”

“It was nice _seeing_ you Obi-Wan.”

“Ha!” Rex barked out a laugh at his joke. He could feel Obi-Wan smirking at him before he responded in kind.

“I'm _looking_ forward to our next visit, my friend.”

He chortled as quietly as he could so he wouldn't aggravate his wounds even more. Rex had no such qualms, and laughed as boisterously as he pleased causing Kanan to shake his head at the clone fondly.

 

 

...oOo…

 

 

Obi-Wan walked out of the room to follow Anakin, jogging up to meet where he was a few paces away. Anakin, for the grown up he was, had his arms crossed and was stomping away from the hospital room.

“What is it you need, Anakin?” He asked as soon as they were a decent amount away from each other.

“What is up with you?” The young Jedi hissed, turning around sharply only to glare at his Master.

“ _Me_?” He questioned incredulously, bringing a hand up to his chest. “I'm not quite sure what you're talking about.”

“Ever since _Kanan_ crashed here you've been quite… _concerned_ about his wellbeing.” Anakin seethed, now pacing along the corridor.

“He is a blind man that crashed his ship in the middle of a war zone. I don't see the problem-”

“The _problem_ -” he growled, making Obi-Wan take a step back. There was anger in his voice that he had never heard before. “-is that if he was just a blind man that crashed, you and Rex wouldn't be here visiting him in a hospital to make sure he's alright and _cracking jokes with him._ ”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to make a rebuttal, but was cut off once again by the young Jedi.

“- _and that's another thing!_ ” He pointed his finger at the bearded man, almost accusingly. “What in the name of the Force is he doing here in the Med Bay in the _Jedi Temple_?? Only _Jedi_ are ever healed here.”

“Well, that has nothing to do with me. Master Yoda requested that Kanan heal here under the best medics in this star system.”

“Why?”

“How should _I_ know?” He glared at the younger man, sighing in defeat when Anakin looked thoroughly chastised.

“…”

The younger man looked away.

“Anakin…” Obi-Wan mumbled in a soothing tone, stepping forward towards the younger man. “...what's _really_ the problem here?”

“It's nothing.”

“Anakin…” Obi-Wan frowned at the brisk reply.

“I just...I just want to understand what's so special about him.”

“I don't know, Anakin...but the Force pulls me to him in a similar way it pulled me to you. I'm not sure what it is, but I know he's important in ways we can't quite realize.”

Now, Anakin wasn't even looking at him, instead he glared at the walls as he paced along the corridor. Obi-Wan sighed once more, his shoulders dropping.

“...You trust me, don't you?”

“Of course I do!” Anakin jumped, finally looking at his Master.

“Then trust that I know what I'm doing. I'll be fine. Kanan is no threat to me, or to you…”

“Go to your Padawan.” He decided once he realized that this conversation was over. “She needs your training, and your knowledge.”

“Ugh, don't remind me.” Anakin rolled his eyes at his former Master.

“You two are more alike than you realize, and I'm sure you'll start to see her like I see you.”

“And how is that?”

“Like family.”

 

 

...oOo…

 

 

Rex left a little while after Anakin pulled Obi-Wan aside, and they both left after their brief talk to meditate in the temple gardens.

It's been hours since then and Kanan was doing nothing except reflecting on his past...future?...life here at the temple.

He knows he shouldn't. He knows he should just let go, put what happened to him and his master behind him, but he couldn't help but wonder…

Right now she would still be in her coma, meaning that she would be here in the hospital wind of the Temple. He wasn't sure what floor she would be on, or what room number she would be in, but he needed to go see her. He needed to make sure she was okay.

Just as he moved to swing his legs over the side of the bed, one of the nurses came in.

“Ah, Mister Jarrus, I've finally caught you when you're… _awake_ , so to speak. You've been in meditation for quite some time.” The clone spoke, making Kanan tense in his bed where he was currently seated. Aside from Rex, he still had this deep untrusting nature towards the rest of the troopers. He wished he could turn his back to the rest of them, pretend like they weren't about to shoot holes through him, but he couldn't help but tense each time an unknown Force signature entered into his line of _sight_.

“Yeah, it seems I have a lot to think about.” He forced himself to relax. This clone was a Doctor, or a nurse at least. He wouldn't hurt him.

“Hmmm.” He tapped his fingers on the pad in his hands. “Are you feeling any pain anywhere besides your stomach and ankle.”

“No, not really. I always have a lingering soreness on my right shoulder blade, but it's from scar tissue stretching.”

“Mmm, yes I noticed the past abrasions when we were closing your stomach wound when you arrived here.” He kept typing. Kanan wished he knew what he was recording. “Are there any other past injuries that we should know about?”

“Well...yeah.” He shifted uncomfortably. The tapping noises stopped as the Clone put down his pad to check his vitals on the machines.

“...may you list them off for me Mister Jarrus.” He asked kindly, tapping on more buttons. Kanan forced himself to relax as the Clone moved around the rooms

“I'd rather not.” He snapped.

“...Alright, that's perfectly fine. I will warn you though, if you acquire any new life threatening injuries, we will have to remove your clothes for the operation.”

“That's fine. I'd just rather not…right now.”

“That's completely understandable.” The Clone smiled, stepping back to grab a stethoscope. He moved towards Kanan and instructed him to lift his shirt. “Now, I'm going to check your lungs…”

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

Kanan spent the next two days on the hospital bed. He listened to his Doctors to his surprise, and didn't move too much except to go to the bathroom, ate and drank mostly liquids, and stretched twice a day to help the rapidly healing muscles.

After that, he started physical therapy. At first, the soreness from the freshly healed wound was borderline painful with all of the exercises he had to do, but over the past few weeks, the soreness lessened and the movements got easier. His ankle was no longer bothering him, which was good considering it was the first thing that healed completely, and now he could easily do flips and turns, and though it still caused mild discomfort it was no longer painful.

He had to do physical therapy for 20 days after the wind closed and he got taken off of bed rest, and with his spiritual healing and countless hours of meditation, he was deemed “healthy” by his doctors.

Now, he was in the Hangar Bay, awaiting instructions from Master Yoda about this secret mission on Toydaria as he reflected on his time in the Hospital.

He had slowly learned to trust his Doctor, who he learned was named Devin, and twice a week Obi-Wan and Rex would visit him to check on his progress. He never saw Anakin or Ahsoka his entire time in the Hospital.

He was hoping to see the both of them again, but was relieved when they never came. He wasn't ready to face them yet. He wasn't ready to face his former master either.

While he waited for a Transport ship to arrive, he felt a strong presence in the Force walking towards him.

Kanan stood and bowed.

“Master Yoda.”

“Master Jarrus. Healthy now, you are. Nice to see you, it is.”

“It's nice to see you too, Master.”

“Hmm…” Yoda closed his eyes and turned away from Kanan, looking at the troopers ahead of him. “Anxious you are, of what's to come.”

Kanan stayed quiet, waiting for Yoda to speak of the mission he was endowed with nearly a standard month ago.

“Gain the allegiance of neutral planets, Republic and Separatist armies are. Travel to a neutral moon in the Toydaria System, you will, to negotiate the terms to build a base.”

“Alright…” Kanan milled the information over in his mind before nodding.

“That doesn't seem too hard.” He mumbled to himself, stepping forward into the Republic ship.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

“We are getting no signal from the Republic, your highness.” The foot soldier hummed, checking his comma once more to be sure. The bug in front of him hummed in thought, putting on his binoculars to try to see if there was an incoming ship entering the planet.

“I don't see anything.” He said more to himself, shaking his head in confusion. “It's not like the Jedi to be late.”

“Greetings, King Katuunko.” A woman's voice gravely said from behind the trio. They startled but turned around, the King putting himself before his men and speaking up authoritatively.

“Who are you?” He asked suspiciously as the pale violet woman bowed and smiled pleasantly. He buzzed around, almost bee-like in his spot as the two droids beside her shifted.

“I am only a messenger, your majesty.” She soothed with a razor sharp smirk. The King’s wings beat faster. “My master wishes to speak with you.”

She floated a small disk to the floor, and with the Force, made it hover above the ground by a few inches. The King, not one to impose, took the disruption in stride and calmly waited as her ‘master’ made himself known on the holo-vid.

_“Katuunko, great King of Toydaria, forgive my intrusion.”_

The King squinted at the holo-vid, his gut twisting as he stared at the man talking on the other end.

“Count Dooku.”


	5. It Has Begun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanan finally embarks on his secret mission, trusts clones he had no intention of knowing, and makes a new friend.

Kanan shifted from where he was sitting on the transport ship. He felt uneasy, being around all these new clones. Before he got on, Master Yoda had introduced them all, but now he couldn't remember their names.

The ship rocked harshly as they jumped out of hyperspace. Kanan, who was in a meditative position on his cot, flew out of his seat and nearly banged his head on the metal confines of the ship.

“Toydarian Royal Delegation, this is the Republic Envoy. Please respond.” He briefly heard one of the clones speak before he righted himself and stepped out of his room. He made his way to the cockpit, slowly passing some clones on the way there.

“General-”

“Ah, please, call me Kanan.” He interrupted. He didn't want to be a General. All the Generals he knew of from the war were long gone. It would be better if he wasn't one.

It would be better if I wasn't here at all.

“Um...Kanan, Sir, the Toydarian’s beacon is active on the moon, but it seems like our transmissions are being jammed.”

_...somethings not right._

He cocked his head, listening to the whirring on the engines, but something was off. There was an electric current going through him, warning him that something was in the way of their mission. Something big was out there, and it was coming for them.

“...it's a trap.” He whispered in horror. He couldn't mess this mission up, and he'd be famed if he lost his men on the way there. “Men! Get to the escape pods, _NOW_!”

“But sir-”

“Listen, there's something big coming, and we need to be on that moon, so everyone get to the escape pods _now_!”

“Yes sir!”

They take orders well… Kanan thought, watching as they all rushed to the escape pods, gathering as much equipment as they could before their enemies arrived. Kanan rushed into the first pod since it had most of their equipment in it, and launched it towards the moon just as a massive ship jumped out of hyperspace. The monstrosity towered over their small transport, almost like a small port in the middle of the galaxy, but Kanan and the rest of the clones knew that it was nothing but a wall to keep them from making it to the planet's surface.

They started shooting at the transport but kanan could hear nothing but the gasps of the clones in the pod with him, hearing no noises in the vast vacuum of space.

_“Force, I hope our brothers are alright in there…”_

_“The ship’s being torn apart…”_

_“Another one of those Separatist ships just jumped out of hyperspace!”_

_“How are we supposed to get home…”_

“The trap has already been sprung…” Kanan spoke firmly, making sure all the clones in the pod with him were listening before he continued to talk. “...but we managed to get the drop on them too. Our mission now is to make it to the surface and meet with King Katuunko, and hope that we make it long enough for a pickup…”

He felt their unease dissipate slightly, but he could sense that the doubt was still there. He shook his head, focused, and walked to the control panel before linking up to the other pods that managed to escape with him.

He turned on the communication device that linked to all the pods before taking a deep breath.

“Attention all military personne,” he paused, clearing his mind before leading on in a strong voice. They needed to know that their leader was not afraid. “...my name is Kanan Jarrus and I'm acting as your General for this mission.”

He thought for a second before continuing his speech. They had a long ways to go before they reached the surface, and even a shorter amount of time before Separatist ships noticed the escape pods headed to the moon.

“You don't know much about me, just as I don't know much about you. Some of you were even ordered to report back to the temple about how I'm doing, and yes, I know you're just doing you jobs but it's time to know the truth…”

He forced himself to stay calm.

“The truth is this mission has already blown apart. We've been attacked by the Separatist Army. For all we know, Count Dooku could be down there waiting for us and King Katuunko could be held captive at this very moment. I hope that's not the case.”

“We were sent here to make peace with a noble leader, but that option was taken from us. I don't know who else is down there, but if we land and we all make it, we’ll be surrounded. They could be waiting for us right now.”

“The Separatists almost have what they want, _absolute_ control over the situation. We can't let them have that, because if they have that then they win…”

He trailed off, his anger dissolving into determination as he chose his next words very carefully.

“They've killed your brothers..” he said, speaking harshly but truthfully into the mic. If he didn't have all their attention before, he did now. “..killed _innocent_ people we’re supposed to protect, and they'll probably shoot you too and it won't end there. If you surrender today, tomorrow, or a month from now, the Separatists will be able to kill whoever stands in their way unless we stop them.”

The atmosphere in his own pod felt lighter, fin led with righteous determination, and hope. He didn't know who these brave men were, but Kanan could now say that he knew he could trust them with his life.

“I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high...it always has been...and it's a price I'm willing to pay. I'm willing to fight until my last day if that's what it takes, and I need you men to be there with me.” Their souls shone like a cluster of stars in the Force, only shining brighter in the darkness that lay ahead of them.

He marched on.

“You're good men, all of you, and for most of you this is your first mission…” he took a shuddering breath before speaking once more. “...for most of you it'll probably be your last...and if I'm the only one willing to give their all today then so be it, but I'm willing to bet I'm not...so we go out there and we fight.”

He stood taller, speaking louder into the mic with a voice he's never spoke before. He was never a leader, and he never wanted to be, but something shifted in him, speaking to him and sliding into place.

It felt like that last piece of his soul finally clicked and in his heart, he knew this was where he was meant to be.

“We fight until we can no longer stand and we win. We go out there and win because we need this base. We go out there and win so our brothers back home can be safe. We go out there and we win so we get to see another day! Are you with me!!”

_“Yeah!”_

_“Let's do this!”_

_“Those clankers won't know what hit them!”_

_“We’ll win for you General!”_

_“We’ll win for our brothers!!”_

_“We’ll win for the Republic!!”_

 

…oOo…

 

 

_“I am aware Master Yoda hopes you will allow the Jedi to build a Republic base in your system in exchange for protection, correct?”_

“Your spies serve you well, count.” King Katuunko spat, glaring while he floated closer to the hologram.

Count Dooku ignored his remark.

 _“I ask…”_ he began, smiling like he knew some dirty trade secret. _“...how can the Jedi protect you, when that cannot even protect themselves.”_

“I suppose you and your droid armies can do better?” The bug asked in a disbelieving tone, narrowing his eyes. The Count narrowed his eyes in return, clearly hearing the skepticism in his voice.

_“Without a doubt…”_

_“I sense you are one who respects strength, your highness.”_ he spat the last two words, clearly as an insult to the King, but Katuunko paid him no mind, ignoring the tone unlike his guards. They tensed behind their king while the Count continued his speech. _“-Our droid armies outnumber the Clones 100 to 1.”_

“Perhaps…” he muttered “...but I have heard that a single Jedi equals 100 battle droids, and they're less likely to stab me in the back, Count.”

Count Dooku growled at King Katuunko, and his apprentice sneered at him. Katuunko merely smirked as Dooku tried to appease him, but he already knew what side he was picking. He was falling into no Separatist trap, he wasn't that stupid.

_“Master Yoda’s powers have been extremely exaggerated-”_

“Your spies did not do as well as it seems, Count Dooku.” He interrupted, a smile making its way to his face as surprise flickered across Dooku’s. “Master Yoda has not been assigned this mission.”

_“...either way, who ever meets you today will be no match against us, I assure you.”_

“That remains to be seen.”

 _“Indeed, but when you decide to join us-”_ one of his guards snorted behind him. _“-my apprentice will contact me.”_

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

Kanan tensed as two pods were shot down beside them. The Separatist Ships had finally noticed them in the escape pods, and he could feel as lives were lost to the vacuum of space, but he held on to hope, directing his pod as best as he could to the surface.

The men that were with him tensed once they realized that they were among the few remaining Clones. What started off with 10, quickly became 5 within the blink of an eye, and they could do nothing to prevent it.

“Don't worry…” Kanan said, tilting his head slightly towards the Clones sharing his pod while he was pushing buttons on the control panel. “…it was quick. They didn't feel a thing…”

“That's the best we could hope for…” one of them mumbled. Kanan felt himself nodding back.

“…May the Force be with them.”

“May the Force be with them…” they mumbled in response.

One shot went wide, narrowly missing them as they started to enter the moon's atmosphere.

“Phew, that was a close one!” A different Clone said, relaxing into the cramped space.

_I really need to learn their names…_

“Gener...ah, Kanan, I think we’re finally out of range.” That same Clone said, looking at him while he steadied the pod.

“Yeah, me too…” Kanan sighed in responses “...we’re headed into another trap down there. You all need to be prepared for anything.”

He could hear them all shift uncomfortably in their seats, obviously glancing at each other with nervous expressions on their faces. Not that Kanan knew that for certain, but he could feel their hurricane of emotions through the Force.

“...how can you be sure?” The first Clone asked, wringing his hands together.

“I can't explain it all that well...but there's a disturbance in the Force. I just… _know_.”

 

 

...oOo… 

 

 

King Katuunko watched from his binoculars as the Republic convoy fled after being shot at by Separatist ships. He squinted his eyes in distaste.

They were trying to lure him towards the dark side of the war, but instead of lashing out at Dooku’s apprentice, he played along.

“My Lord...Master Yoda’s warship has fled the system.” The grey skinned female smugly said in her raspy voice. She seemed so sure of herself. Katuunko didn't like her. “What further evidence do you require of the Jedi’s weakness?”

Katuunko glared at her, and almost sighed in relief once his own communicator beeped. He lifted it, floating away from the grey woman as he accepted the call.

“This is King Katuunko.” He stated. “Speak.”

_“Master Jarrus would like to talk to you, sir.”_

 

 

_____

 

 

“It's a pleasure to finally hear your voice, your highness. I am Jedi Master Kanan Jarrus.”

 _“Ah! Master Jedi...I thought for a moment that Count Dooku had scared you off.”_ King Katuunko said in a tone Kanan couldn't quite decipher. It was hard judging what someone meant when he couldn't pinpoint their Force signature and feel the bleed of their emotions.

“I was unaware we had a welcome party, so we’ve been delayed a bit.” He said in a soothing tone so he could appear as ‘unaffected’ to the king of Toydaria, “Separatist ships attacked our convoy, but we managed to make it to the surface relatively unharmed. We’re not too far off from your current coordinates.”

_“Yes, the Count has invited himself and his apprentice to our meeting. I apologize for the inconvenience.”_

“It's of no consequence, I assure you.” Kanan said, waving his hand as if to brush off the comment.

 _“Well,_ he _assures_ me _that in this time of war, his droids can offer me better security than the Jedi.”_

Kanan heard one of the clones behind him snort in amusement.

He ignored them.

“That's…debatable.” He responded with a smirk.

 _“Your majesty might prefer more than words, Jedi.”_ A new, female voice entered the conversation. Kanan frowned.

_She must be Dooku’s apprentice. Great…_

“Doesn't she know this is an A-B conversation?”

“I don't really think she cares.”

The clones were well out of range of the communicators speaker systems, but with his advanced senses, Kanan could hear the conversations going on behind him.

 _“What did you have in mind miss…?”_ King Katuunko trailed off, waiting to hear her name.

_“Ventress.”_

“What? No ‘Sith’ in front of that already depressing name?”

“She didn't even introduce herself to him? How long has she been there??”

“Now that's just bad manners.”

“Would you shut up, I'm trying to listen!”

 _“If Jarrus is truly the warrior Master Yoda believes he is, let him prove it.”_ She continued, going on without hearing the clones input. Kanan stifled his laugh by ‘coughing’ into his hand. _“Allow me to send my best troops-”_

“Those stupid clankers? I don't think those count as troops.”

_“-to capture him and his men. If they escape, join the Republic, but should my droids defeat Jarrus, consider an alliance with the Separatists.”_

_“I did not request Master Jarrus' presence here to test him in battle-”_

“It's alright, your highness.” Kanan said, hoping to stop a fight from happening between the two. Who knows what Ventress could have done to the King. “I accept the challenge.”

He spoke, and he was sure Ventress knew he was talking to her.

“King Katuunko, you shall expect me by nightfall.” He said, ending the call. He and his men were going to show up to that meeting well before nightfall.

He would make sure of it.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

“Master Jarrus must be given a fair fight.”

“My dear King Katuunko,” Ventress trailed off in a sickeningly sweet voice. “I would have it no other way.”

King Katuunko didn't believe her for a second.

He watched as a she walked away, disappearing behind one of the massive plants that inhabited the moon.

When she was finally out of his line of sight, she pulled her communicator from her belt and called Count Dooku to inform him of the current situation.

“I am deploying my forces, Master.”

_“Master Yoda has made a grave mistake, sending an errand boy to fight his battles this far from Coruscant.”_

“I will see that Master Jarrus gets his _fair fight._ ”

_“Master Jarrus...while I know most of the Jedi, this name is all but unknown to me…"_

“It will be easy to deadest him, I am sure. He is young, not much older than Skywalker and…blind.”

_“Hmm…I will look into this mystery Jedi. Do not fail me, apprentice.”_

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

“I’d imagine this place is very beautiful…the universe sure is an amazing place.” Kanan said, more to himself than anything, but the Clone that stood next to him hummed in agreement.

He could hear a massive ship pass overhead as soon as he stood up, and it made him frown.

“There's gotta be a full battalion in that ship, probably packing some armor too.” He said, tilting his head to hear what direction it was landing in.

“We’ll have something for them.” One of the clones said, holding up one massive gun. He seemed to be the most amped up by his speech, and it made his smile.

“As amusing as that would be, we should only bring what we need, too much weight will only slow us down...besides, that won't do you any good against Ventress.” He said, walking towards the small crater the pod made when they ‘landed’.

“You know General, she has absolutely no manners.” Kanan and a few of his men snorted at the comment made by the Lieutenant.

“I'm aware, which a why we should expect her army to outnumber us by the hundreds.” He sighed, placing his hand in the hilt of his saber to calm him. “Pack light, and bring the rations. You’ll be hungry by nightfall.”

Kanan started to walk in the opposite direction of the coordinates, confusing his men.

“...Sir, the rendezvous point is that way.” One of them pointed out. He didn't know if one of them literally pointed in the direction they were supposed to go, but they probably did. He merely nodded at them and continued to walk.

“I know. Ventress will be there waiting for us. If we want to make it to King Katuunko, we can't go in a straight path. We’ll have to make our way around to catch her off guard. It'll give us a small advantage in the battle, but that unpredictability might just save our lives”

“She said she was going to capture us if we lose the skirmish, sir, not kill us.” Another Clone said, and Kanan shook his head.

_I should really ask their names...for now I'm just going to think of them as Louie, Troop, Cloey, C1, and C2 until I learn their **actual** names..._

“Come on, do you really believe Dooku's apprentice is going to give us a fair fight?” He said back to ‘Cloey’. They all followed him after that.

“You can always trust a dishonest person to be dishonest…” he mumbled.

‘Louie’ hummed in response.

 

 

_____ 

 

They walked around the coral forest for almost two hours before they were spotted.

Kanan, who was at the head of their group heard tanks incoming and decided to lightly jog to a nearby boulder. He stood there for a moment, breathing in the musky air while engines whirred in the distance.

Apparently, this was viewed by his men as a break, and one by one, they all climbed atop the boulder and sat down, waiting for instructions.

“We've got tanks incoming.” He said simply, his head still tilted towards the coral forest. “They shouldn't be able to drive them in, but I want us to take cover behind more of these plants, just to be sure.”

His men, who had been resting for quite a few minutes, moved to stand, but before they could get anywhere the tanks stopped.

“I think I see them. They're hiding in the trees!” the droid who Kanan assumed was leading the tanks said, “Fire on Sector 11.”

They were surrounded by cannon fire in a forest that didn't burn.

He heard the clones behind him tense, loading their weapons.

“At ease, men. They can't reach us from back here, we're not in range.” Kanan said, walking forward and placing his hands on his hips.

“That doesn't stop them from firing, sir.” ‘Troop’ said, his voice tense.

“Hey…” Kanan’s voice was soft, talking to the clones as if they were scared children, which _Force, they **were**_. This was their first mission, all of theirs, and he had to be strong for them or else they would never make it through the day. “...hey, listen to me. We're safe. As long as we have cover, and a level head, we can handle this.”

The droids, who were still firing, seemed to be at an impasse. One of them tried to force his tank through the forest, but succeeded only in wrecking the machine. He could hear the argument clearly through the obstacles, making him smile.

“You, see. Safe.”

“Right…” Troop mumbled, his shoulders relaxing.

“Good, now, does anyone have any ideas?”

They all stared at him, eyes wide. One of them, ‘C1’ the quietest of the group moved forward, adjusting the scopes in his helmet before speaking for the first time the entire mission. For some reason, Kanan expected him to sound different, but it was the same tone and drawl of all the other clones he's met so far.

“...those tanks are too big to follow us…”

“Size isn't everything, but what we lack in numbers, we make up for in pretty much everything else. These droids will deploy their troops to try and get to us.” ‘Louie’ said, breathing anxiously.

“We've been walking the forest for hours, we can lead them through the coral and knock them out one group at a time.” ‘C2’ suggested, adjusting the strap on his pack before looking to him. Kanan smiled and nodded. It was a good idea, and the only one they had so far, but it would work.

“They'll be gunning for me.” He hummed, “I'll circle around this area to try and get the jump on them, but that won't work for lo-”

“Sir, there are two patrols coming in on foot.” ‘C1’ interrupted, looking out in the distance. Kanan paused.

_Time to put the plan into action..._

“...I'll take out the larger group, you men focus on the other one.”

“We’ll take ‘em out quick, sir. Flank them from the south while you head out…I don't wanna leave the King waiting.”

Kanan smirked at ‘Troop’.

“We won't.”

 

 

_____

 

 

They parted ways, Kanan going into the forest while his troops spread out in the clearing. Just as they thought, the smaller group, having seen the clones beforehand, went to follow them out. They spread out their group, leaving the droids vulnerable and exposed.

“Come on, you can do this…” ‘Louie’ mumbled to himself before perching his gun on the boulder. He stood there, tense, waiting for a droid to get in range before he took his shot and ducked back down quickly before one could see him.

He could hear the metallic pang come off of one of the droids, and internally he cheered at himself for hitting his target, but that thrill was short lived. One of his men followed his lead, but didn't manage to duck intime. They were found.

 _“Blast him!”_ The droids screamed as another clanker dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

“Books, get down!” He screamed, waving his hand frantically at his brother. He was always quiet, but strong. Books was smart in every sense of the word, and though he didn't say much, he was expressive just as the rest of them.

‘Louie’ panicked, the air leaving his lungs as Books lunged from his vantage point, scrambling to get away from enemy fire. The blaster stopped for a moment, and that split second was all it took for him to run to his brother.

“Books! Are you hit?!” He asked, desperate to make sure he was okay. He couldn't lose him now.

Unlike the rest of his brothers, he and Books shared the same chamber when they were still developing. Identical twins, sharing the same artificial womb. Even though the bother of them still technically shared the same birthday with the rest of their brothers, he couldn't help but feel more for _this_ brother.

It was very rare for Clones like them to be developed within the same chamber, and because of that anomaly, he and Books were just a tad closer, a little more comfortable in their skin when they were close, and if they tried really hard, the connection they shared in the womb could still be felt.

He knew when the other was in danger, or hurt, or sad, or angry.

It would kill him to see him die.

“I'm fine, Riot…” his brother mumbled, glaring at the sun as it shone in his face. Riot sighed in relief.

“Be careful out there. I can't lose you, you know that.” He hissed, shaking his brother's shoulder. Books looked at him, momentarily stunned before his face relaxed into a soft smile.

“I'll be more careful, I promise.”

Riot hummed and nodded, knowing the promise was empty. Books, for all he tried, had a rebellious streak in him a mile wide. He would try to be safe, for a while, before falling into his old habits. Riot couldn't blame him, though.

They were all like that.

 _“Look, a civilian!”_ A droid said, his voice made to sound shocked. Riot managed to stifle his laugh while his brother just rolled his eyes at them. They were just the stupidest things in the whole galaxy!

 _“You buckethead! That's the Jedi!”_ Another one said in what he assumes was a scolding tone. He shook his head once more to clear his thoughts.

“The Gene- Jarrus is distracting them.”

_“Oh…blast him!”_

“Okay, clankers, suck laser!” Riot cried out, moving from his hiding point and shooting practically every droid in the clearing. Books, and another one of his brothers came out from where they were hiding to make sure the droids he just filled with holes stayed down.

“Where's the General?” ‘Troop’ asked as he walked up to them, kicking aside the droids so he could stand leveled with them on the ground.

“We got separated.” Books said, shaking his head at him in repose. As he stopped shaking his head, Riot could feel him tense, but before he could ask what's wrong, his brother started to shout.

“We’ve got clankers, incoming!”

Riot whipped his head around right when they started to fire. For a moment, he thought it would be more cannon fodder, but a group of Super Battle droids were marching upon them.

“Fall back!” He shrieked, hoping that his other two brothers that were still in the forest could hear him, and would soon come to their aid. “There are too many of them!”

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

 _“He's around here, somewhere…”_ a droid said, standing in the middle of a small clearing. Kanan, who was hiding in one of the trees, listened as they started to search the small area.

One of the droids backed up, rifle in ready position, and once he got close enough, Kanan jumped. Igniting his saber, he landed in a crouched position, the droid that was previously standing below him now split in two on the forest floor.

_“Hey, don't move!”_

Kanan paid no mind to the droids, instead twisting and turning effortlessly to avoid blaster fire. He managed to get to the center of the group, and in one graceful spin, all the droids fell. He smirked, listening as their internal engines whirred and died out.

Before he turned off his saber, Kanan kicked away all of the blasters except one, cutting them in half and rendering them useless. He picked up the spare blaster, and clipped it to his belt before marching off in search of his troops.

He wandered around for a few moments before focusing. The slight breeze shifted his way, and if he listened closely, he could hear voices and blaster fire.

 _“-hope the General reaches the rendezvous point.”_ He heard one say. He could hear his boots pounding on the forest floor. Kanan's heart beat the slightest bit faster at the sounds.

_“At least we're buying him some time.”_

“Karabast!” He hissed to himself, running against the wind. His troops were out there, fighting against some heavily armored droids. He knew they could handle the cannon fodder Ventress had sent their way, but the droids they were running against now were different, bigger. He needed to get to them now or else they might get killed, and he promised himself he would get them all home relatively safe.

They weren't safe now.

It seemed like he was running for hours, but in reality he knew only a few minutes have passed before he too was in the fray.

Without warning, there was a big explosion and he and Riot were thrown aside. Kanan hissed in pain, but since he was just coming up to them, he wasn't thrown too far and was hardly hurt. Riot, on the other hand, was the one who was targeted, and was still laying in the dirt in pain. Kanan and another clone rushed to him, grabbing him by the underarms and lifting him up so they could drag him behind the nearest boulder and lean him against it.

“Riot, can you walk?”

“I-I think I'm okay, Books.” Riot hissed out, grabbing his knee and exhaling sharply. Kanan frowned.

Standing from where he was kneeling on the ground, he Force jumped high enough so that he was behind the droids advancing on them, and cut two of them down easily. The great thing about these droids, although they did a lot of damage, were very slow. Kanan used it to his advantage, blocking blaster fire and directing it away from his troops so while the droids were distracted with him, they could knock them down from behind.

“What are we gonna do, sir?” The still unnamed clone (well, unnamed to Kanan) asked as the last of the droids were finally shot down. He hummed in thought while he put his lightsaber back in his holster.

“You found us just in time…I don't know want to know what could have happened if you hadn't been there, sir.” Riot mumbled, saving his breath. His knee was hurt from the explosion moments ago. It wasn't hurt too bad, but it would definitely slow them down quite a bit.

“We need to get out of here…” he mumbled, stroking his beard, but his train of thought quickly crashed. More droids were ok their way.

“Sir, we've got Rollies inbound!” The clone yelled, raising his gun to fire.

“Ugh, I hate these guys.” Kanan growled, infighting his saber once more. “We won't be able to get past their energy shields! We have to fall back!”

“Head to the forest!” The clone beside him yelled, backing away while his brothers scrambled for cover.

“I'll cover you!” Kanan screamed in response. As quick as his enemy's weapons fired, an idea came to him. He would only have a brief moment before they’d all get crushed. They had to move, fast. “Get back!”

With a flick of his wrist and a very powerful shot, Kanan directed the blast to one of the big coral trees in the forest surrounding them and seconds later the entire tree fell apart, the giant pieces of debris landing on top of the droids and destroying them.

They kept running into the forest and didn't look back.

 

…oOo…

 

_“The Jedi destroyed our advanced troops.”_

“Ha! The Jedi is living up to my expectations!” King Katuunko laughed as he turned to Ventress. The droid on the holo fizzled out, signaling a problem in the transmission but the holo stayed intact. He smiled at her, smug.

Whatever was happening out there, things were not going to plan.

“Commander, have you pinpointed the Jedi’s location?” Ventress asked, completely ignoring the King as she responded to her Droid army General. Katuunko narrowed his eyes at her.

_“Affirmative. The clones gave away their positions. Our troops are moving to intercept them.”_

“When you find them, engage.” She said in a calm tone, but Katuunko could see the small bead of sweat rolling down the side of her face.

She was nervous.

 _“Yes sir.”_ The transmission fizzled out and so they watched on in silence.

One of his men floated to the edge of the platform, putting on his binoculars and zooming in on the sector the Jedi and his Clones were in. It was nearly 20 standard minutes later when King Katuunko heard muffled explosions in the distance and moments later, another droid in a different sector of the forest called in to report.

_“Republic troops are injured. The Jedi is in full retreat, sir!”_

“Good. Pursue them without delay.”

He glared at her when she turned her slimy smile towards him.

“The contest is not over yet.” He said, straightening his posture. He turned away as he heard a beep on his belt, and when he opened the transmission he saw Kanan smiling, his hands clasped behind his belt.

“Ah, Master Jarrus, I hear you are having some trouble with the droid army.”

 _“Trouble? I have no idea what you're talking about, your highness. We just decided to set some fireworks so you know how much fun we're having out here!”_ The crackle in his voice from the comms did nothing to hide his amusement and ease. Katuunko was satisfied that the Jedi master could keep a level head and good personality despite his mission going south. He could appreciate the trust he had in his men and the strength he's shown despite his disability, if he could even call it that.

 _“Yes, your highness. We're having a blast out here.”_ One of the clones chipped in with a serious voice. It was a joke, obviously, but the King made sure not to laugh. His men, however, had no such qualms and openly chuckled at the comment.

“Do not have too much fun Master Jedi, you still have a meeting to attend to.”

 _“Yes, and I'm looking forward to it.”_ Master Jarrus said, the wide smile vanishing from his face, only making him look much older. He was young still. If he passed today, he would not be young for that much longer.

Before either one of them could end the call, his device was yanked out of his hands by Ventress and crushed in anger. Her face was contorted in an angry grimace, making him and his men float back.

“The Jedi won't elude me for long.” She growled out, dropping the remains of the small device onto the floor as if it was garbage. He supposed that now it was.

“I hope…” he mumbled out, turning to look at the smoke from the explosion rise in the distance. “...that you are wrong.”

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

It was nearing sundown when they finally stumbled across a small canyon filled with caves. Books, as far as Kanan knew, was still helping Riot walk. It seemed as though he was more injured than Kanan originally thought and now instead of a slight limp, Riot could hardly stand on his injured knee.

Kanan was starting to get worried, not for the three men he had with him, but for the two he had yet to find. The sun was going down, if anything, he hoped that they were alive and on their way to the rendezvous point as planned.

Hesitantly, they climbed down onto a smaller ledge of the canyon and after a few paces, moved to take refuge inside of a small cave.

“Are you sure we should go in there, sir?” Riot asked, signalling for his brothers to stop before he stepped in the cave by himself. “If the droid army comes after us again, there will be no way out.”

“You have to rest, Riot.” He soothed, motioning for him to sit down on a larger rock. He knew the droids were coming, he could hear the heavy marching in the distance, but he said nothing to his men. They needed to rest and catch their breath before they started fighting again.

As the other two clones sat down beside their brother, one of them reached into their pack and pulled out a heated lantern so they had light, and warmth, in the cave. Night was approaching fast. It would soon get cold.

“We’re low on ammo, sir…” Books grumbled out in a low, defeated tone. “…we only have two grenades and one rocket for the launcher.”

“That's all we have? There's got to be another battalion headed our way. It won't be enough…we've lost…” the other clone said in response, slumping in defeat against the cave walls. Kanan shook his head at them in disbelief.

“You're so sure we've been defeated…” he said, reaching out to grab the blaster he took from the fallen droid so he could create a makeshift crutch for Riot “…and the day isn't even over yet.”

“With all due respect, sir…maybe you should go on without us.” The one in question said softly, wincing in pain as he shifted in his ‘seat’.

“We’ll slow them down for you while you head on to meet with the King.” The last clone said with a determined voice. He was already moving to load the rocket into his launcher, but Kanan stopped him with a gentle hand.

“No…everything we need to win is already here, and I'm not leaving without you.” He made sure to move his head to face him, to face all of them. “Take off your helmets, please. I want to tell you something.”

“There's not much to look at, sir.” Riot said as he adjusted his clutch to the right height. “We all share the same face.”

“Yeah, well, it's not like I can see them anyways.” He joked back, trying to make light of the situation, but the comment managed to fly over their heads.

“Oh! I-uh-”

“No, no! It's fine! I just like to make the best out of it.”

One by one, they all removed their helmets, and for the first time this mission, he could feel them truly relax.

“Your eyes can deceive you, so you don't know it but all of you are very different from each other.” he could feel their disbelief, but he continued on anyways. “Through the Force, I see you for who you are, not by what you look like.”

“Riot,” he started, shifting to face him. “you're always focused on the enemy, even when you shouldn't be…you need to be able to look at yourself and take a little time to relax, and breathe.”

“Books,” he turned towards him next. “you're concerned about the weapons we have, but weapons alone don't win the war. Your mind is a very powerful thing. Use it to your advantage.”

“I'm sorry I don't remember your name…”

“It's Jek, sir.”

“Jek…” he tried, mouthing the word slowly before continuing once more. “don't rush into the fight. War is long, and forever changing. The only way you win is by surviving it, and overcoming all that lays ahead of you.”

They all seemed to have perked up from his little speech, and he was glad for it. They needed something else to focus on.

“You might all be clones, but the Force resides in all life forms. Breath, use it to calm your mind, and everything will turn out alright.”

Just as he finished, there was a loud rumbling noise echoing off the canyon walls. Kanan, knowing what is sas, signaled his men to exit the cave. Books took the lead, leading them up the canyon wall once more to a small vantage point.

“Tanks? Is that the best they can throw at us?” Riot drawled out from where he was sprawled on the floor.

“Apparently, but I've only got one shot left.” Jek mumbled, loading the launcher to fire at the tanks.

Kanan placed his hand on his shoulder.

“Save it. I'll go down and greet them.”

“Sir, you're not going to be able to take on that whole army by yourself!”

“I'm not by myself now, am I?” He replied with a smirk. Jerk smiled back at him widely. “They're outnumbered.”

With a leap of faith, he jumped high, flipping mid air so he could land in a crouched position with his saber ignited in his outstretched hand. In the blink of an eye, he sprang forward, spinning and cutting down five droids before his feet even touched the ground. He was headed for the tanks.

They hovered at least two and a half feet up in the air, so with once he got close to one, he slid under it with his saber up, effectively cutting the entire bottom in half. It bent inward, making the engine exploded with everyone in it.

Kanan was momentarily thrown forward from the blast, but gained his footing quickly and kept twirling his saber to deflect the shots aimed at him. In the background he could hear droids running to him and some even talking, probably reporting back to Ventress and King Katuunko.

Thinking quickly, he jumped and angled his body so that the remaining tanks would shoot each other down. Now all he had left were the few hundred droids that came with the battalion.

 _This should be fun…_ he thought to himself as he cut down droid after droid as if they were nothing but dust in the wind.

He was ruthless, his thoughts empty and emotions running wild. Every cut was precise, every turn controlled. There was nothing that could stop him now.

 

 

_____

 

 

“The General is cutting them up.” Riot mumbled in amazement, watching with awe as Kanan struck down droid after droid. He had never even met a Jedi before this mission, but he couldn't help but think that _no one_ could stand up to Kanan. He was… _incredible_.

He heard his brothers laugh as parts from the fight flew everywhere. Kanan was turning them all into scrap metal and they couldn't be happier.

“We've got trouble.” Books said suddenly, standing and adjusting his specs. “The clankers sent reinforcements.”

Rollers were coming in from the belly of the canyon.

“Jarrus is too busy with those droids. He won't see ‘em comin.” Riot hissed, glaring at the 10 droids.

“He won't see them either wa-”

“You know what I mean, Jek!”

“…I think I know how to deal with them.”

Jek loaded the launcher effortlessly and got into position. Jarrus was almost done cutting up the last of the droids down below and he had to be tired.

He had one shot.

With a puff of an exhale and a quick finger, Jek pulled the trigger. The shot hit its target, and the ledge he was aiming at on the far side of the canyon came crashing down on all the Rollie's just as Kanan moved into a defensive position on the ground.

“Yeah!”

“Wooo!”

“Great shot, Jek!”

“That's for my brothers you pieces of _scrap_ …” he mumbled, shaking his head as he joined in on the cheering.

The three of them helped Riot walk down so they could meet up with Jarrus on the ground. They took their time, knowing that they won their little war against the Separatists here on the Toydarian moon. They couldn't be happier.

“Come on. We're behind schedule.” Jarrus said to them once they caught up. They laughed as he dusted off his pants and shirt with a grimace.

“I just had these cleaned…”

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

“You were right Count Dooku. One Jedi is not worth 100 battle droids. More like…” King Katuunko paused, searching for the right words in his mind. “...a thousand! I am sorry, but I will be joining the Republic.”

 _“I urge you to reconsider, wise King. I promise, you won't regret it.”_ Count Dooku drawled from the transmitter.

“Your agent promised me earlier today that Master Jarrus would get a fair fight. I will not deal with those who break their words so willingly.” Katuunko growled, glaring at the man who dare try to persuade him under false pretenses. This was only further proof that the Jedi and Republic were more superior to the likes of the Separatists.

 _“So be it. Perhaps our negotiations will be more fruitful…”_ he started out slow, but his face quickly morphed into one of anger. _“...with your successor! Ventress, kill him!”_

His guards moved to fire, but Ventress was too quick. She knocked them out, throwing them with the Force like rag dolls while she ignited her two red blades and swung them at the King.

He closed his eyes, ready to meet his fate, but it seemed as if the universe had other plans. The lightsabers stopped an inch away from his neck, just hovering while Ventress grunted in distress.

King Katuunko opened his eyes and glanced to his left to see Master Jarrus and three clones march up to him. Jarrus had his hand up, easily stopping the blades from piercing his neck with no effort.

“Jedi Master Kanan Jarrus. I am honored to finally meet you and your men at last.” He said, glancing at the Jedi Master. Kanan bowed slightly, a smile as his face as he responded in kind.

“The feelings mutual, your majesty.”

“Ventress has failed you, Count Dooku.” Kanan said. Although he couldn't see the holo-vid of the count on the transmitter, he could feel his presence through the device. He was watching him.

“I don't fear you, Jedi!” Ventress hissed, using the force to twist out of his bros and her into an attack pose.

Not that he really knew that, since you know, blind, but he assumed she was about to attack. She sounded very defensive.

“I don't fear you either, Ventress.” He stated with a calm air as he took her in. “You're powerful with the Dark Side, and smart, but you're not that strong.”

Reaching out his hand, Kanan twitches his fingers and within a single moment, both of her sabers were off and in his outstretched hand.

“You still have a lot to learn.” He said with a smile as he tossed her lightsabers back to her. She was glaring at him. He could feel the heat from it on the side of his face, but he payed her no mind. She was nothing but a child to him.

She reached to put her sabers back onto their holsters, and before he could reach out to her again, she grabbed a small device that was hanging on her belt and punched the button on top of it.

It caused an explosion so large, the ground shook beneath his feet. Riot got knocked down, and in the background Kanan could hear his pained cry and his brothers concern, but he had other things to focus on.

Giant pieces of the mountain were coming down on them fast, and without hesitation, Kanan lifted a single hand and stopped Ann of the debris from raining down on them and killing them. The heaviness of the objects did not bother him in the slightest even though more experienced Jedi would have shown strain, he showed none and simply placed the giant rocks on the ground.

He knew Ventress escaped, but she was a coward, a child throwing a tantrum because things did not go her way, and he knew she would be never be anything else.

_“It's a pity I wasn't there tower you in person Master Jarrus.”_

“A pity indeed, Count Dooku.” He responded, crossing his arms. He listened as the transmission fizzled out before turning to the King.

“Alright. Maybe now, we can begin negotiations, King Katuunko.”

“That is not necessary, my friend.” Katuunko said in a booming voice as he unsheathed his sword. “You have my faith, and my sword. Toydaria would be honored to host a Republic base, just as I would be honored to bid my blade to you.”

“Oh! King Katuunko, that's really not necessary-”

“Please, Master Jarrus. I owe you my life.” He said in a soft voice as he pushed his blade gently into the Jedi’s hands.

“Thank you King Katuunko.” Kanan said, just as soft. This was such a great honor, to be given the King's sword by the King of Toydaria himself. He was speechless.

“You will always have a friend in me, Jarrus. Me and my people are at your service, always.”

“We will not fail you, your majesty.” He said, kneeling and bowing his head before standing up and dusting off his knees for the second time that day.

“Sir, we've got Republic ships incoming.”

“Well, King Katuunko, that's our ride.” Kanan said, chuckling to himself as he heard his men run off to greet their brothers.

“Farewell my friends.” He waved, smiling as they boarded the small transport. “May the Force be with you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update is so late! I really have no excuse for missing an update, but to make up for it this chapter is super long! I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! 
> 
> Also, I threw in my own Star Wars version of one of my favorite speeches from my favorite movie. 
> 
> Until next time! 
> 
> -V
> 
>  
> 
> [I own the rights to nothing except my OC's and ideas for this story]


	6. Broken Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst, Angst, Plot and more Angst!!

Landing safely back at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant was strange, in a nostalgic sort of way. Kanan and his Master (back when he was still called _Caleb)_ used to go on some risky missions back in his padawan days and he remembered all the times he breathed in the musky Coruscant air, thankful to be alive and still living off the post-mission high. He remembered, a few times they would arrive in the early morning and he would look on, watching the sunrise next to his Master, with a wide smile and warm rays of light bringing him peace.

 _“Peace…”_ he remembered she used to say, _“...is not a prize, Caleb. It is a responsibility, and if you have the means, it is **your** responsibility to attain it for you and for all those around you…”_

Now, at 32, the nostalgia was hitting him harder than he would've liked. He could almost taste the crisp morning air on the transport ship, but he could feel the warmth from the rising sun hitting his face just like it did back then.

Back before the Empire.

He didn't really know what to say to Riot, or Books, or Jek, who were in the shuttle with him, but if felt only right in a moment like this to give them the same advice his master had once given him many years ago.

He could feel the weight of many world coming down on his shoulders as he relayed these words back to them, a constant reminder of all he came here to accomplish...of all he could lose in the process.

The Ghost crew. Hera, Zeb, Ezra, Sabine, and Chopper…the memories were still clear in his mind. He didn't think he would ever forget them as long as he lived. All that they did together, as a Crew, as a family…he didn't want to feel their loss, but if all went well, if he changed the future he would probably lose them forever.

If it came to that, he would miss them with every fiber of his being but he had to do this. If he succeeded, they would all grow up with lives they deserved, lives that were _happy_ and _beautiful_ and _good_. He couldn't mess this up for them.

“Jarrus...are you alright?”

The quiet question from Riot snapped him out of his trance, but it still felt like a dream even when he nodded back and responded.

“Y-yeah, Riot…I'll be okay.”

Riot didn't question how he said ‘ _i’ll be okay_ ’ instead of responding or consoling them. He didn't want to pry and Kanan could appreciate the sentiment.

He still found it weird, how much these clones seemed to care for him after such a short mission, but he honestly didn't mind as much as he thought he would. He could feel a thin bond forming between the three as well, almost like Cody and Obi-Wan, or Obi-Wan and Skywalker…full of an unwavering amount of trust and respect. They were almost like a family, and if the Jedi allowed such affections, he supposed they would be.

He had no reason to deny these bonds forming with these clones though. He was not a Jedi in the traditional sense, or at all really, but if the briefing with Master Yoda went well today, he would now be their General, officially.

It was a strange thought.

_Riot would be a good Commander...with Books as his right hand and Jek as his weapons specialist…they would make quite the team…_

_You know...if the briefing went well._

He shook his head, finally managing to clear his thoughts before stepping off the transport. It brought a smile to his face, knowing that the three of them stayed with him even though they still needed to be checked into medical. Technically they all did after a mission as a ‘just in case’ even if they looked fine, but the sentiment was nice nonetheless. It made him feel...welcome.

“Alright, let’s go boys.” He said, walking away with a smile, as if he hadn't just been lost in thought. He heard them chuckle behind him, his smile going softer at the sound but when he turned to walk towards the temple, it disappeared completely.

Once the doors open, the two groups went their separate ways. The clones to the Med Bay, and Kanan in search of Master Yoda.

He didn't have to look long. It seemed as if Yoda had the same idea as him because not even a few minutes had passed before the Grand Master found him.

“Ah, Master Jarrus! Glad, I am I have found you. Made it back safely, I see.”

“Master Yoda!” He exclaimed, surprised that they had met so quickly. He was hoping to put if off for quite a while, but it seemed like just his luck that he was already here. “I was just searching for you, but it seems like you managed to find me first.”

“Hmmm…” Yoda hummed, amused “…come to inform you, I have, that plans have changed.”

“From what to…what?” He asked, a bit unsure. Yoda was smiling at him like he knew a funny secret and wasn't supposed to tell, but it always seemed like he knew the secrets of the world.

“To Medical, you shall go for the moment. Afterwards, accompany you I shall, to your room.”

_My...room?_

The shock must have shown on his face because he could hear Yoda's shrill laugh echo in his mind as he stood there, flabbergasted. He wasn't sure what to say, but by the time a simple ' _thank you'_ entered his mind, Yoda had already disappeared down the halls. The Temple was a maze on a good day, and a massive headache on the bad ones, but Kanan's mind was too fuzzy for him to attempt to find the Grand Master.

“Kanan! It's good to see you, my friend.”

 _“Karabast!”_ He hissed, nearly jumping out of his skin. The voice was close, with his superior hearing, it sounded almost right next to him even though he knew he was yards away.

“I am sorry.” Kanan heard Obi-Wan’s deep voice let out a rumbling chuckle at his fright, making Kanan also huff out a breath of laughter. “I was on my way to one of the conference rooms. It's seems as though Anakin's done something quite reckless, as usual.”

“Ah, well I was just about to head towards the Med Bay and then, maybe you could help me find Master Yoda afterwards.” He said, glad to finally have a familiar face around here. It was still strange for him, being surrounded by all the people he had lost. He didn't think he would ever get used to it.

“The Med Bay? Why would you be headed there?”

“Standard post mission medical procedure.” He mumbled in complaint, straightening his back as they both turned to walk in the direction of the Med Bay.

“Post...mission?”

“Yes it's...classified-ish?” Kanan questioned himself, thinking of the mission. He supposed it wouldn't be classified anymore once word got out that Toydaria would allow them to build a Republic base in their system.

“Well, I suppose I'll accompany you there.” Obi was said, his shoulders relaxing under his tunic. If it were any other person, they might not have noticed the tension leaving, but Kanan not having his eyes made him see better than most other would.

Obi-Wan was avoiding something.

“Oh! No, really it's fi-” he started to say, wanting to give his friend a way out if he needed up changing his mind, but it seemed like he didn't have to do that.

“Please, Kanan. I haven't had the pleasure of talking to you in almost a month. I could do with a friendly face right now, anyways…”

He nodded in understanding. He could tell, just by the conflict going on around him, that the war was affecting the older Jedi. A good man, a man of peace and care was stuck in the middle of a war and it was affecting him in ways he couldn't put into words.

To know that whenever a friend went on a mission that there was a possibility that they wouldn't come back must've been unbearable, but for Obi-Wan, he had to deal with his friends risking their lives, his ex-padawan who he saw as a son risking his life, his grand-padawan Ahsoka, Cody, Rex, Fives, and so many more people were out there dying everyday because of the Separatists.

Kanan focused.

There was a dull throb in the back of his mind, acting almost as a warning of something bad to come, but he couldn't place the feeling. He didn't know whether it was another premonition of the future, or a warning of danger, but he found himself weary and confused.

“Do you...feel that?” He asked, stopping in the middle of the corridor and tilting his head. He felt Obi-Wan pause next to him and search through the force.

“Hmmm…it feels almost like a warning…” he mumbled, brows scrunching together in thought.

Kanan followed it.

 

_____

 

 

The feeling led him down the winding paths and corridors of the Jedi Temple until he found himself standing in front of an unoccupied resting chamber. The doors were closed, the metallic gray a stark contrast against the vibrant dark red walls of a he corridor.

Stepping forward, he placed his right hand on the doors and pushed it open.

There was hardly anything in it. A bed in the far left corner, against the wall to give the illusion of a bigger space. A desk against the wall, also serving as a bedside table. Another door to their right leading to a decent sized bathroom with a small closet.

At the foot of the bed lay a chest for personal belongings. It was different than the rest of the room. Kanan knew that most Jedi Masters had very few belonging to begin with since they weren't allowed attachments, so knowing the chest was there was strange.

Stepping up to it, he unlocked the chest with a wave of his hand and opened it, only to gasp at what was inside.

Inside the chest lay his small wooden box that held the ancient Jedi and Sith holocrons, parts of his mask that Sabine had made him all those months ago, his spare armor and clothes, and little trinkets he had brought with him on the Phantom when he left the base.

“This is…my stuff…” he whispered, still in disbelief. Some of his most treasured possessions were there, cleaned from the dust and oil from the crash. He reached in, finding most of the holo-vids and recording from the missions he went on before he crashed. He had brought them with him on the Phantom.

He didn't want to forget, back then, in case something happened. He needed to know, have the reassurance that they were safe, that his family was alive.

They wouldn't be now.

Only he and Hera, even Zeb, would be alive right now. He and Hera would be babies and Zeb would be well into his youth. He wondered where they were now.

He clicked on a holo, not knowing what would pop up, but if he cried right now he would be a mess, he knew that.

_“Spectre Six, the Empire is here, **in orbit** , we are in big trouble.”_

There was a huge rumbling and a giant crash coming in through the speakers. He could hear Ezra’s heavy breathing, and his yell of surprise through the comms.

He remembered this mission. They were on enemy territory, trying to get more ships for the Rebels, and he had barely got there in time to save Ezra.

_The landing platform that the ships were stationed on was tipping, and his Padawan was stuck in the middle of it, sliding off, about to fall to his death._

_Static was coming in. One of the generators for the dock was shorting out and barely hanging onto the platform. Ezra was right next to it, below the belly of the ships._

The Phantom was there, the original one, and with the chaos going on around the teen he could only assume that the loud screening noise was something falling off from the platform. It had hit the ship, he remembered picking it up from the planet's surface and it was in shambles after the mission, but they had fixed it up with everyone's help. He wouldn't be here otherwise.

_“I…I'm in trouble too…” his voice was strained, and low. He was in trouble, and he did all he could to get up and keep running, but there was nowhere to go. The dock was in shambles, the base was blowing up, and he was alone in the middle of all the destruction. He had no way out._

Kanan, even now, was concerned for him even though he knew how this all panned out.

There were more explosions, and Ezra's pained grunt could be heard through the small recorder in his hands.

_“Spectre Five? Spectre Fiv- skrrrsh -n! Can you hear- skrrrsh -ine, come i- skrrrsh -”_

_Ezra’s voice was shrill, but they couldn't hear him right through the comms. His voice was in and out, soft through the noise behind. They hadn't responded._

_He could feel the sheer panic coming in through their bond. Ezra was scared, and alone. He needed to get there soon._  
  
“Kanan...where are you?” He whispered, desperate for an answer. The base was blowing up in front of his eyes. He needed an answer. He needed his Master.

Kanan, at the time, was back on the Ghost.

_“Ghost, any sign of the Phantom? Spectre Six should be up here by now.”_

_“Ezra’s not with you?!” Kanan screamed, the panic from his bond only rising more in him. They should be there!_

_They should be together._

_“...no.”_

_This had to be Ezra’s plan. Sabine would never stray away unless she was told._

_“Kid...what're you doing?”_ his whispered voice could be heard on the small device. He remembered this, clear as day.

_“The station!” Hera had exclaimed, the thought coming to her as she avoided fire from the TIE’s on their tail._

_“We better hurry! Hera, think you can shake off these TIE Fighters?”_

_“As if you have to ask…”_

_And so they dove. They flew through the ships around them, and made a dive towards the planet once the had a clear shot. Kanan didn't even need to do anything, with Hera being the pilot she was, she didn't need any help._

_She punched it, the Ghost going impossibly fast as she cleared the atmosphere and made a path for herself through the gaseous fog. There were explosions, massive ones, and the base that was barely hanging together was plummeting to the surface with Ezra still in board._

_“I'm picking something up on my scanner!” She yelled, maneuvering through the debris. “I'll fly in as close as I can.”_

_“Ezra...I'm here.”_

_“There he is!” The twi’lek screamed. With them so close to the falling Empire Base, the noise was nearly unbearable to him, but he pushed on. His **son** was down there._

_“I'll get him!” He yelled at her, jumping out of his seat to go to the back of the ship. He opened the hatch, the wind nearly knocking him over, but he didn't let it overtake him. Standing his ground, he reached out._

_It didn't matter that he was blind, in this moment he knew the Force would keep them together._

_“Ezra! I'm right here!” He yelled, louder than he ever thought possible, trying to reach through the broken base to his Padawan._

_“Kanan!” His voice was cracking. He was scared. “I can't reach you! It's too far!”_

_“It's okay! I've got you!” He screamed, stepping forward one more step, and reaching out to him as far as he could. “Ezra…I got you! Let **go**!”_

_He could feel the force guiding him, propelling him forward. There was a trust there, between Master and Padawan, that wasn't there before. He could feel the moment Ezra’s fingers slipped off the flaming hull._

_He was free falling to the surface, his arms spread wide to slow him down, the Ghost flying down beside him._

_He reached out his hand, grabbing hold of the teen and bringing him in, closing the hatch with sheer will as he fell back to brace their fall._

_“I've got him!” He laughed through the comms, hugging his son impossibly tight. He wasn't letting go._

_“...I’ve got you.”_

“I remember this day..." Kanan mumbled, breaking the silence. "...we had a big fight, right before he…” his throat closed up.

Breathing in a shaky breath, he continued, not daring to look at the older Jedi. “...he said he didn't need me anymore and I was so hurt. I was in so much pain, and when this happened I was so scared…” his voice cracked on the last word, and he was filled with the sudden urge to cry.

He wouldn't. Not now, anyways.

He sniffed, coughing slightly to relieve the the heaviness in his throat, and got up from where he had sunk to the floor.

It was just a voice recording of the mission, he knew that, but the emotions from it were still running high. He was a mess that whole day until the both had apologized back at headquarters.

If this all went well, Ezra would live a good, happy life.

A life without him.

 _It's better this way…_ he thought. Kanan wasn't sure he believed himself.

He cleared his theory once more and straightened his still dirty shirt.

“I better head to medical. I've been avoiding it for too long already.”

“Kanan…” Obi-Wan had started to say, probably wanting to console him in some way, but he cut him off before he could start.

“No, I…I have to get going.”

And so he fled before Obi-Wan could try to say anything else.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

When Kanan finally made it to Medical, the exam he had been unintentionally avoiding only ended up taking 15 minutes, but somehow those 15 minutes seemed to stretch into days in his mind.

He sat there, on the bed just listening to nothing but white noise and the city. He was stuck almost, in a trance of the past (the future?).

He wasn't sure of what he was doing was right. Should he tell someone about how he came to be here? He would be locked in a Psych Ward if he did that.

_Hi, my real name is Caleb Dume. I'm actually about five years old right now, but this me is from the future where the Separatists win the war and the galaxy gets thrown into chaos. How are you guys doing today?_

Yeah, no.

If there was anyone on the council he could trust, it would be Obi-Wan, but after what had transpired in his quarters, he wasn't sure he could talk to him just yet. It was emotional, and he was sure the older Jedi had nothing but questions for him. He didn't want to answer them, but after sharing such an intense force vision, Kanan knew he needed to explain something to the man.

He just wasn't sure what.

Revealing too much could be a problem. Revealing too little could be a problem. Saying anything at all could be a problem. Anything he did here changed the future in some minuscule way, and he was prepared to make it better but how? He needed the help, he knew that, and with the bond between him and Obi-Wan was growing day by day.

They were fated to meet, but why? Was it for this purpose, to save the galaxy? Or is it a sign of something else.

He wasn't sure what to do, so he wandered.

He wandered the halls, somehow finding a way to his troopers shared room. They didn't notice him pass by, so he left to wander some more.

He walked around every corner of the Hospital Wing, the ‘Med Bay’ as he called it, and saw every living thing in that room’s Force signatures swirl and burst and light up together. They were all so different, so pure and clean and good, it was a wonder his shined at all in comparison.

His life had been nothing but pain, and coming out, his Force signature relatively unscathed was a miracle in itself. It was the same, symphony of colors and intricate designs, he knew that, but now where all the bright colors had shown darkness had mixed in only making the tendrils more beautiful.

He was neutral, not in the War, but in the way of the Force, and that power was dangerous in so many ways. He needed someone to guide him, someone to help and train him.

He needed Bendu, but going to him was a huge risk. Bendu wouldn't even know who he was, or so he thought, and going that close to neutral space was a danger. All the drug traders and smugglers lives on those backwater planets, and being aligned with the Republic would put a big target on his back.

Being a Jedi on top of all that? Forget it. Going there was a death wish, it was not an option.

And so, he kept wandering. He walked and he thought and he scrambled his brain until he was no closer to an answer than before. He was in a rut, a hole, a bottomless pit of questions with no answers on the horizon.

He didn't even realize where he was until he noticed the beeping in the corner of his mind.

He had wandered into a patient's room. The steady heart monitor in the corner alerted him that whoever was on the bed was alive (obviously) and well. They were asleep, maybe in a medically induced coma, or an actual one but he wasn't sure.

Kanan tilted his head and took a step in the direction of the bed. Whoever was laying there, their Force signature seemed...familiar somehow.

He looked on, searching for an answer on who this one, but names were escaping him at the moment.

He reached out, his hand nearly touching the limp one hanging off the side of the bed before he flinched back.

He could smell the soft perfume wafting off the body on the bed, he could almost see the soft lines of their face, the curves of their hair, and the stern gaze he was always at the receiving end of as a youngling, and while the heartbeat on the monitor was steady his was beating a mile a minute.

Depa Billaba. His Master.

The only mother he had ever known.

She was there, in front of him, alive and breathing and _real_. He almost couldn't believe it.

Exhaling a shaky breath, he reached out, his hand trembling as he reached and grasped hers. The monitors remained steady while he held on with dear life, and bawled.

He cried for what seemed like hours, the anger and frustration and confusion finally coming out, the stress finally easing its way out of him with every snot filled sniffle. He cried and cried, grief over taking him before that too melted into the Force.

Depa had always been his anchor, even before she had chosen him to be her Padawan. He remembered, she was always so strong willed, always willing to do the right thing, and though she was stern she was also kind to him in a way he had never felt before.

When he was younger, he had to refrain himself from calling her ‘Mom’ quite a few times. Looking back on all his memories now, it seemed like even then he wasn't quite a Jedi. He had always been too curious, too emotional to be a Padawan, but his emotions only made him stronger, and that strong connection to the Force is what kept him alive all these years.

He knew, deep down, it was all because of her.

Training was always hard for him, the instructors too stiff and harsh, and she was always the one who would kneel in front of him and brush his flyaway hairs out of his face and tell him _“Be strong. You are smart, and gracious, and_ beyond _exceptional. You are more…more than what you know…”_

In years to come, those words would be his mantra. He would whisper it to himself when he needed strength, he would mumble it to himself when he was stuck, he would play them over in his head a hundred times until he believed them. He never forgot those words.

“...you don't know me…” he croaked out, his voice trembling, full of emotion “...not yet, anyways…”

He cleared his throat.

“...my name is Kanan Jarrus, but years from now, you’ll know me by different name.”

“I need your help…” he whispered brokenly, grasping her hand tighter as he sat on the chair by the hospital bed. “I need your compassion, I need your guidance. After all these years I…I need to hear your voice. I need you to tell me that everything will be okay…”

“I'm not like how you’ll remember me, Master Billaba. I've…changed, and I'm honestly not sure it's for the better.”

“I don't know what to do…” he sobbed, voice going high as he hiccuped over his tears. “...I only know what I can do, but right now my options are limited...and far and few in between…”

“I need someone to confide in, Master. I need someone's help me in this grand scheme of things, and I know Obi-Wan can be that person but what do it tell him?”

“I need your guidance, Master…” he whispered, bringing her cold, limp hand to his face. He could feel her pulse beating on her wrist.

He ended up staying there with her, stroking her hand, occasionally brushing her hair from her face while she laid there in silence.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

“Kanan…” Obi-Wan called out, reaching out his hand to place it on his shoulder. He had meant to comfort him, but at the last moment he brought his hand back. He wasn't sure what to do.

Although he felt emotions, they were still somewhat alien to him. Being trained as a Jedi would do that to you, he supposed.

“No, I…I have to get going.” The younger Jedi had stammered out, standing up abruptly. It was such a shock that Obi-Wan had to take a step back so he wouldn't get metaphorically trampled.

He tried reaching out to him, tried to say something, but no words would come out.

He sighed in frustration.

His friend was hurting, and he didn't know how to stop it, so he decided on leaving the room to get back to the council like he was supposed to do in the first place, but as he turned to walk out, something caught his eyes.

The small device that Kanan had in his hands was sprawled on the floor, just laying there. He picked it up, curious as to where he should put it, and looked to the small chest of belongings that was put at the foot of his bed.

There were quite a few things in there, none that he recognized besides shirts and armor. The technology in the case was completely foreign to him, so when he put the small, circular recorder back he didn't realize he had picked up another one.

The one he now held in his hand was thicker, probably meant to hold more information or an actual holo of something.

Obi-Wan’s thumb hovered over the small green button as he weighed the pros and cons of watching or listening to whatever was inside. It would be a betrayal of trust, or would be wrong but he was curious.

That small feeling at the back of his mind pulsed in anticipation, it was a warm feeling, and he was almost tempted to give in.

 _No!_ He thought, _This is not who I am… I will not do that to him._

In a bout of anger, Obi-Wan threw the small device back into the chest, but in doing so he only managed to turn one of them on. He hesitated, torn between listening to more and turning it off.

 _“Kanaaaan!”_ A Mandalorian girl with strange colored hair screamed in delight into the camera. Her eyes were crinkled in a smile, and her obvious happiness only made Obi-Wan’s lips tick upwards.

 _“Hey, Kanan!”_ A younger light skinned boy with blue hair said next, facing the camera towards him as he waved. He recognized the voice from the previous recording, meaning that this young man had to be Ezra.

 _“Jarrus, we just wanted to say-”_ another person said to the screen, but the look of him made Obi-Wan jump in surprise. It was a Lasat! He could hardly believe his eyes. Lasan was one of their greatest allies, but it was very rare that they left their planet, let alone spoke Basic but this one apparently did both.

 _“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!”_ The three screamed in unison.

 _“We know you're away on a Mission right now-”_ the girl (Sabine, if he remembered correctly) said only to be interrupted again.

 _“We miss you already, old man!”_ The Lasat drawled, grinning and showing his extremely sharp teeth.

_“-but we thought we would leave this for you when you came back!”_

_“I'm eating all the cake of you don't make it back in time!”_

_“Ezra, you better not-”_

_“Ha! Gotta go wrangle up the kids, so I better shut this off before I break it. Happy Birthday Kanan. We love you-”_ This time it was another person holding the recorder, a beautiful light green Twi’lek woman said softly as she glared half-heartedly at the people off screen.

_“We love you Kanan!”_

_“-and we all hope you have a great 32nd Birthday.”_

There was beeping in the background, and it sounded so much like R2 that Obi-Wan had to stifle his laugh.

_“Alright, alright I'm turning it o-”_

He put the video back with the others, his fingers twitching as he contemplated on grabbing another.

The pulsing at the back of his head was getting warmer as he thought, and stronger as he reached his hand out more and more.

He couldn't do it.

Obi-Wan brought his hand back and fled the room before he could do anything else.


	7. I Can't Fight This - Mini Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MINI CHAPTER 
> 
> I'm not shitting you. 
> 
> It's tiny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really just a sneak peek on what I've been working on for the past two weeks, and honestly, for a while I lost the motivation to work on this chapter so I'm posting a warmer (tiny) fluff piece to this work so I don't leave you guys hanging.
> 
> Now, DONT WORRY. I absolutely am NOT abandoning or taking a break on this fic, despite what the End Notes say...
> 
> It's been a bitch of a rollercoaster, but fear not!!! This entire chapter is dedicated to all you lovelies out there reading this.

Depa Billaba never spoke any words to him, even as he waited and listened to her heart monitor for hours she never woke, so without her guidance and her tender care Kanan left in search for his room.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but the atmosphere had shifted and the air was colder than it was before.

The day was ending.

As he was roaming the halls, he figured that, with what had happened earlier, it would do good to apologize to Obi-Wan even though the older Jedi was very much the forgiving type and probably had mentally forgiven him already. He wanted no bad blood between them, even metaphorically, or in his own mind...

Changing direction, he went in search of Kenobi, tilting his head to the side to try and pinpoint his location in the temple. It took him a while to get a mental lock on him but when he did, he hesitated.

Master Kenobi was in the middle of his ‘meeting’ that he had mentioned earlier in passing. What he failed to mention though, was that this meeting was with some members of the Council. If he got anywhere near that part of the Temple while they were in a discussion, he would be escorted out since he was not apart of the Council meeting, but since Kanan didn't really want to go back to his room yet he decided to meditate in one of the gardens outside.

Right now, the younglings were out practicing their poses on a giant platform outside, and he could feel some nod to him in passing as he walked by. He smiled and nodded back before heading further into the large area. If he remembered correctly, there was a massive W’ping Wilo that was always in bloom deep into the garden by the Koi Lake that he and his Master always used to meditate under during the cool nights.

It was one of his favorite things about this place. The Wilo. When he was younger, he would always climb as high as he could and sit on the thickest branch so he could meditate and smell the sweet Wilo flowers in the breeze. It would calm him, knowing that when he was up there he would disappear from the outside world. It made his worries and all his troubles seem so far away, and to a degree it would help him go into a deeper state of meditation.

As he stood there, he contemplated on whether or not he should meditate in the branches like he did when he was a child, but he shook his head at the thought. He was no longer the young, innocent Padawan Dume. Now he was a seasoned warrior, a veteran. The memory of his past would stay just that, and he would sit and cross his legs by the stump of the tree and forget the past while he waited for Obi-Wan to finish his meeting.

Except, he couldn't meditate.

He just ended up sitting there with a frown on his face, his body tense beneath the tree.

He wasn't sure what was bothering him so much, but the warm ache in the back of his mind kept pulsating, almost like he needed to... _remember something_.

What was he forgetting?

He wasn't sure.

 

 

...oOo...

 

  
“This weapon has struck in over a dozen systems already, and each time it has disappeared without a trace.”

“Hmmm…most troubling, this is.” Master Yoda hummed, looking away from the holo in thought. Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. Windu was right, he knew that from the briefing, but it was a bit too neat for his likings. The Separatists were usually sloppy, their numbers more than making up for it but sloppy nonetheless, that meant that whatever weapon they had was big, dangerous, and made for a small crew.

“We _cannot_  afford to lose anymore ships.” He mumbled to himself as he stroked his beard, turning to pace the floor when the holo finally connected to his former Padawan’s transmission signal.

“Ah, Anakin! Have you had any success in finding General Grievous’ secret weapon?” Palpatine piped up. Something about that sentence made Obi-Wan second guess the man.

_“Master Plo was in the Abregado System when we lost contact…”_

Obi-Wan listened patiently as his former Padawan replied in a calm manner, but his mind wandered and the conversation faded behind him. They were briefed about the enemy weapon, but nowhere in the report did it say that it was Grievous’ weapon.

_There’s something wrong here…_

Ever since the shared force vision with Kanan, his senses seemed to be sharper, more focused on the people around him. Being in a meeting with Master Yoda and Master Windu was normal as he had spoken to them many times before, and after, the battle on Kristofsis, but there was something scratching at the back of his mind, something important.

He couldn't figure out what it was, but he couldn't help but focus on it the whole time the three of them met with Palpatine.

He wasn't entirely sure why, but after the vision, whenever Palpatine was in the general facility, he got a cold chill racing up his spine. Something was telling him not to trust the politician, but he wasn't sure why. He didn't know what to do, but now, hearing him as he spoke to Anakin seemed strange. It was almost like his feelings were forced and unnatural...

Not one to _not_ follow his instincts, Obi-Wan tried to subtlety probe Palpatine’s mind, but when he tried to listen to his surface thoughts all he got was static.

He was hiding something.

_“...no further contact with Master Plo.”_ Anakin paused, looking to his Padawan briefly before continuing to talk. _“The absence of a distress beacon indicates that his fleet was...that his fleet was destroyed, like the others.”_

_“We’re about to prepare a rescue mission.”_

“Hasn't Clone Intelligence reported this weapon never leaves any survivors?” The politician asked in a sickly sweet voice, talking as if Anakin was still a naive child. The question in itself was rhetorical, but the way he said it was...

“Unusually tidy, the separatists are being...want witnesses, they do not.” Yoda hummed, looking to Obi-Wan who was still lost in his own mind. “Your thoughts, Master Kenobi?”

The question shocked him out of his head, but the questions and doubts still lingered as he thought out a response.

“These losses are tragic, but...Master Plo is one of our wisest members and his tactics and strategies in the field are unparalleled. We _cannot_ afford to lose him now…” his voice was loud, and sounded braver than he felt. “...I believe, if Anakin and Ahsoka send out a small team to retrieve survivors and count the losses, their efforts may not be in vain.” He turned to look at his friend, Windu, who merely stared at him for a few seconds before nodding. Knowing that he didn't need to be convinced of his plan was a relief in itself since he was so level headed.

He must've felt his unease through the Force.

“...all of our battle groups will be assigned to guard our supply convoys, including yours Skywalker, while you send a ship for a rescue mission.”

_“You don't sound very hopeful Master Windu.”_

“Personally, I would rather you not waste your time but I am outvoted and Master Kenobi’s logic is sound. This war is far from over, and Master Plo is one of the best.” He sighed out in a moment of weakness. “We need him, but no, I don't think there are any survivors.”

_“But just because there were no survivors last time, doesn't mean there won't be any now!”_ The young Togruta shouted out, causing the four in the room to stare in muted shock. Obi-Wan, for one, was not all that surprised but the loudness of her exclamation made him jump when she had spoken.

“...Very boldly spoken, young one.” Palpating smiled. Now, this one was troubling. It seemed he held a certain fondness for her, probably because she reminded him of Anakin.

_“She's..._ learning _from me, but we will deploy as you have instructed, Masters.”_

After he said his goodbyes, the transmission cut off, leaving the four of them to discuss the situation quietly in the privacy of the vacant room.

“I'm afraid I must leave you gentleman.” Palpatine bowed. “I have political matters to attend to.”

“Mustn't worry, senator. Discuss the matter further, we will not.” Yoda assured as they all walked out of the room.

 

  
...oOo...

 

  
As Obi-Wan turned, ready to go find Kanan, Master Windu’s quiet voice stopped him.

“Obi-Wan, may I speak to you for a moment.” He asked politely, bowing slightly and holding out his arm. It was apparent by his body language that he wanted to take a walk.

“Yes. It seems I have nothing better to do.” He announced with a small laugh, turning to face his lifelong friend and falling in step with him as they walked along the corridor. As soon as they were a great deal away from the conference room, Windu spoke.

“You seemed...troubled.” He hummed, crossing his arms behind his back.

“Yes, I…” Obi-Wan shook his head, not quite sure what to say. His thoughts were a mess at the moment, unfortunately. “...it might be nothing, but…I feel as though Senator Palpatine is...his mind it's…”

He glanced to the side, searching his friends face for an emotion of some sort, but finding nothing but curiosity behind dark eyes. Master Windu was never one for emotions, taking every law as serious as they could even in youth. He shouldn't have been so surprised to find very little now.

“...it's sick...quiet in a way I've never heard. I can't quite explain it but I…” Obi-Wan paused, nearly whispering out the last few words as if the very thought was a new phenomenon. “I can't trust him.”

“...I'm glad I finally have someone to talk to.” The shock from Windu’s statement must've shown on Obi-Wan’s face since he heard the man start to chuckle quietly, and after a few moments of silence, began to talk once more.

“Two years before the war started, Palpatine’s thoughts were always on the forefront of his mind. The concern he had for his citizens was admirable, and it’s what made all of us so willing to side with him once things started to get out of hand.” He watched patiently as Windu searched for words.

“With his support in the Senate, we were able to do great things as a people, but the moment the war broke out, there's been a cloud over him and it seemed as if I was the only one who could sense it.”

“Truthfully, I couldn't. Not until Ka-” He stopped himself. He never called anyone except Anakin, and occasionally Ahsoka, by their first name. “-Jarrus and I shared that vision on Kristofsis.” He wasn't aware if Windu had caught the slip, it was nearly impossible to tell, but if he did he didn't say a thing.

“I know. Ever since then, you've been more...apprehensive towards certain people.” Windu hummed, finally turning to look at his old friend. “How is Master Jarrus?”

“He's...I'm not entirely sure.” The bearded Jedi admitted, bringing a hand up to stroke his beard thoughtfully. “I found out earlier that he was given a room here at the temple.”

“Yes, me and the other members of the Council had a meeting on whether or not he should stay.”

“What?"  He questioned, looking at his friend with a baffled expression. "Why was I not made aware of this?” 

“You're too close to him.”

“I hardly _know_ the man.” Obi-Wan argued.

“The bond you share is very...profound...and unlike anything we’ve ever seen-”

“And I'm guessing it's the reason I wasn't there.”

“In a way, it was.” Master Windu searched Obi-Wan’s face for anger and tilted his mouth in a smile when he found none. “The main reason you weren't there was because you two were off planet and we needed to make a decision before he, and you, got back.”

“Ha!”

 

  
…oOo…

 

  
Kanan didn't end up meditating. What he did end up doing was laying down under the shade of the W’ping Wilo and relaxing. He wasn't sure how long he laid there, but seeing as he couldn't meditate, he had resorted to just laying in the soft mossy grass, waiting as the clouds passed over him.

There was a soft humming all around him, calming him even further, making him smile once he realized that it was coming from him. An emotion was passing through him, one he hadn't felt in a long, _long_ time.

Content.

Perhaps...even _happiness_.

When was the last time he felt like this? Stars, it must've been in his Padawan days…

It was then when he knew, he could finally meditate in peace.

Kanan didn't bother getting into a proper meditative stance, far too relaxed to even care about being proper. He was content to just lay there, and let his thoughts and emotions bleed into the Force.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my explanation to why I've been absent. It's long, so you may skip it if you want... 
> 
>  
> 
> For the past week, my mom has been in the hospital. She had been feeling sick for a while before she was admitted, and I'm not going into any details, but for now she is doing okay and her doctors think it's safe for her to return home. Now along with that, I haven't been working. I know you may be thinking 'shouldn't that mean you can write more?' 
> 
> Normally, I would say yes, but no work means no money, and no money means I can't help my mom with what she's going through, which means I'm stressed, hungry, and broke. I have had no time to think of writing and I'm truly sorry about that. 
> 
> Furthermore, one of my closest friends who is in the military is about to leave for 2 years so I've been spending my time alternating between my mom, my friend, my job, and being reminded by Mother Nature that no, I am NOT pregnant. 
> 
> My head's been a mess. I don't do well with stress, I never have, and this past week has been nothing but stress, so I'm sorry I haven't posted anything. I've been trying to stay positive and mush through it all, but it's hard to do everything and maintain my writing schedule. 
> 
> This story has been on the back burner, but it won't be any more. 
> 
> I'm sorry this chapter is so short. This is the only place I could cut it off (from the rest of it) where it wouldn't seem too weird, and it turned out to be mostly fluffy, but I'm hoping you guys won't mind too much. 
> 
> I also might be making some very slight changes to the previous chapters since [SPOILERS AHEAD] one of the last episodes of Star Wars Rebels, which I have NO rights to, had a perfect opening for me to start this fic. Kanan is on some supply run in the show and isn't present which was a beautiful gift for me, [END SPOILERS] so stay tuned and keep checking on those first few chapters. 
> 
> The W'ping Wilo is NOT mentioned or is a 'thing' in the SW universe. It is based off my favorite tree, the Weeping Willow. 
> 
> Well...that's all really. Sorry this note is about as long as the actual chapter, but I felt like I needed to explain. 
> 
> If any of you want a preview on the Temple Gardens, some 'visual aid' if you will, I will be posting a series of photos on my Tumblr (loloia-brabock) to show you what it's meant to look like.


	8. Evading Shadows Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka' angry at The Council despite them granting her wishes, Anakin is angry at Ahsoka for speaking out of turn, Obi-Wan and Kanan reflect on the future, and for some reason they're all in space.

Ahsoka marched away from the holo-table, frustrated and upset with what Master Windu had told them. He thought it was a _waste_ to go look for Master Plo? One of the best, wisest, and kindest Jedi she's ever met? Not on her life!

She had let out a small shrill of satisfaction once Master Kenobi said that it would be in their best interest to find survivors, because that meant she could be on the small team looking for them, but that small feeling was all she got. He didn't send them out because they wanted to, or a sense of duty, he sent them out because he was outnumbered three to one.

Leaving behind an innocent life in need was not the Jedi way, and after she has spoken, the way that Palpatine had looked at her...she shuddered. No older gentleman should look at her with such fondness unless it was her Grand Master or Master Plo.

Stomping away in outrage and disgust, she headed towards the door leading to the Bridge.

“Ahsoka!” Her Master yelled, his calm voice not betraying his anger in the slightest. Hearing her name was all it for her to go on a mad rant.

“If anyone could survive, Master Plo could!” She yelled, flailing her arms angrily while she spoke. “I don't understand why they would-”

“What you don't understand is protocol, or your place my young Padawan! They are allowing us to go with a small team to search for survivors, and _you_ -” Anakin roughly jabbed a finger at her, his glare only intensifying as his voice grew louder. “-are only going because _I am allowing it!_ If you keep acting like this, I won't hesitate to station you on another part of this ship.”

Ahsoka crossed her arms, staring meanly at her master as he spoke to her. She couldn't believe what she was hearing! Master Plo was out there right now and he was arguing over Jedi Protocol.

_Oh! So it's like he ‘never’ breaks the rules or listens to his Masters, but when I want to say one kriffin’ thing I get reprimanded! Unbelievable…_

“Admiral.” Anakin greeted over her fuming head as the doors opened, smiling politely as the Admiral walked into the room. “I'm going to have you split our ships to maximize our defense area while Ahsoka and I take a small team to the wreckage to search for any survivors and scout for any enemy activity.”

The Admiral looked at the pair, a single eyebrow raised on his head. If he was shocked by the abrupt end of conversation, he didn't look outwardly affected.

“That's a very risky move, General.” He responded, rubbing his chin in thought as he looked away. “The mystery weapon might still be out there.” If Ahsoka looked closely, she would see worry and concern for both them and any survivors, but she was far too aggravated to sense the emotions flowing through anyone but herself.

“I know, but we've actually got permission from the Council members to do this, and I'm not about to argue over my orders when there might be lives at stake.”

“Very well, I'll see what I can do.” He nodded as he and the Clone next to him started to walk away.

“Thank you, Admiral.” Anakin said, now turning to face her and grabbing her shoulder gently. She was glad at least that her Master had the sense to not push her or speak directly to her at the moment, and calmed her emotions while she allowed herself to be gently led towards the hangar. “Come on, Snips.”

Despite the fact that her Master was being kind and the Council let them search for survivors, she still couldn't help the fact that her anger was still simmering beneath the surface of her mind. What Master Windu said had hurt her heart, and both Master Yoda and Senator Palpatine had said nothing, leaving her Grand Master to make the point and argue the side nobody wanted to hear. She was glad at least that they had someone on their side, someone to see that looking for _something_ or even _someone_ could be beneficial to all of them. Yeah, it might look like favoritism to some, but she knew no matter how much Master Kenobi cared for the both of them, he would put his duty before his heart. He was the epitome, the face, of the Jedi Order, and she knew that he would always do the right thing, no matter what or who was on the line.

It took only a few minutes for them to reach the Hangar where they kept all of the ships, and before she knew it, her Master had hollered for three specific soldiers to come forward so he could brief them on their mission.

None of the clones were ones that she recognized through the Force, or even through uniform, but all of them had a unique painting on their left shoulder that she knew she had seen before.

It was two black swirls, both opposite, a mirror image to each other with both of them having that same upstroke on the edges that made the images look as if it was a butterfly spreading its wings mid-flight. In the middle of the two swirls, there were two brushstrokes symbolizing the antennas, and slashed through the middle of the entire thing was a jagged red horizontal line. There were no words on their marks, but the three of them were wearing it with the same pride one would wear a badge of honor.

Usually, all the clones that she saw that had marks either permanently inked on their skin, or on their armor, were either Republic/Jedi based, or had something to deal with their nicknames. The only ones she saw that had identical ones were clones that were in a specific squadron.

It made her wonder who these three were, and what exactly their marks meant to them.

“Jek, Riot, Books…” Her master greeted them with a bow. “...you three will be accompanying me and my Padawan learner to the Abregado System to search for any survivors of Master Plo Koon’s fleet.” He finished off with a flourish, obviously expecting the shocked looks on their faces, going by his smile.

“Jek, Riot, you two will be manning the guns in case we run into any trouble.” Anakin ordered, his back straightening as he addressed them. “Books, you’ll be my co-pilot for this mission.”

_WHAT?!_

“What?!” Ahsoka screeched, spinning to stare at her master incredulously. She was his Padawan, if anything she should be the one up there with him leading this mission, not-not Books! She was almost 100% certain that Anakin had never flown a mission with this Clone in his life, but he was willing to let him not only come with, but be his _co-pilot?_ “Skyguy-”

“No, Ahsoka.” The seriousness in his voice, and his eyes when he turned to look at her made her take a step back. “You’ve disregarded my words ever since we’ve been assigned to this system, and though I might have let it slide those other times since I thoroughly enjoyed our banter, what you did today was unacceptable.”

“But Master-” Ahsoka tried to argue, and only succeeding in being interrupted once more.

“You're a bright kid, but you still have have much to learn, so as my Padawan learner, on this mission you are going to do nothing but watch, and learn.”

She huffed, hurt and ashamed. It finally sank in, shaking her to her core. She knew from the moment she spoke out that what she did was _wrong_ , and she tried not to let it get to her but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't help it. Master Plo was out there. The man that had shown her so much kindness when he found her, and had shown her nothing but love ever since. It was clear to her and anyone who had ever seen the two together, that their bond was much like what one would see in a Father and Daughter, so leaving him stranded in space was not an option to her.

Silently, she trudged after the four of them as they headed towards the ship they were going to use for the mission. It was big enough to hold around 50-60 people if they tried, but if she had to be honest with herself, they probably would only find a few escape pods full of people.

As Ahsoka got on board, she watched through the corner of her eyes as the Clones with them started to gear up and head to their stations. Books, like Ahsoka, was headed to the flight deck.

“Books, set the coordinates into the computer and head out.”

“Yes, sir.” Ahsoka heard the Clone respond as she sat down behind the co-pilots seat.

“...Master.” Ahsoka started hesitantly, waiting for Anakin to look back at her before she spoke up again. “I feel like I should tell you why I spoke up before.”

“You don't have to explain anything, Ahsoka.” Anakin said gently from the pilot's seat. “Not if you don't want to.”

She nodded at him before looking down at her intertwined fingers that rested on her lap as Books words floated over her head.

“Preparing to jump, in 3…2…”

The engines whooshed as his voice faded into the ever changing colors of hyperspace.

 

  
…oOo…

 

  
As Obi-Wan walked on in the lower levels of the Temple in search for sustenance, or maybe even some come caf, he noticed Grandmaster Yoda walking out from his quarters and decided to walk alongside him. His slow pace and gentle spirit would allow him to think without much interruptions, and his quiet nature and old age made him a great walking companion.

Out of all the Masters that were present in his youth, Master Yoda had probably been his favorite aside from his former master, Qui Gon. His fondness for jokes and ability to teach without reprimand made him the perfect friend to all the younglings in the Temple, and his funny way of talking always made him smile. It was a great relief to him, that someone so strong and kind in the Force would become their leader and greatest teacher. It was fitting now that he himself knew of the horrors that roam untamed throughout the galaxy.

As Obi-Wan walked up to the old Master, he bowed silently in greeting, gaining him a smile and a simple, “Master Kenobi.” In return.

“Good evening Master Yoda.” He spoke with a pleasant tone as the small ache in his head, from his past conversation with Master Windu, receded slightly.

Although his conversation with Mace was friendly enough, and ended in laughter, the very beginning of the whole thing stayed in the forefront of his mind.

“Busy, are you?” His small form asked, the light tapping from his cane echoing off the large Temple walls.

Obi-Wan paused for a brief second, taking time to reflect on his current plans of wandering around the Temple in search for his...friend, if he could truly call him that. He wanted to have a calm conversation with the man and question him on some things since that had transpired in the short time they had known each other.

“I...no.” He lied with a smile and no hesitation, “Is there anything you need, Master?”

“Hmmm…” The old master grumbled, narrowing his eyes at Obi-Wan good naturedly, and lightly whacking him in the shin with his cane as if he knew he was lying, which he probably did. “Thought about this, I have. Go, you will, to defend Master Skywalker’s fleet.”

The bearded Jedi nodded with a smile, almost expecting something of the sort to transpire. It wasn't a show of favoritism, everyone in the Temple knew that where one of them goes, the other one soon follows. Kenobi _himself_ knew that Master Yoda was more than likely sending him in to control the situation in case it got out of hand which, knowing Anakin, it would. To him, what the Grandmaster was proposing just made sense.

“Leave immediately, you will, with Master Jarrus.”

... _Master Jarrus?_ He thought, tilting his head in confusion.

“Find him in the gardens, you will.” He told him, changing his body so he could head down a larger hall as his cane tapped lightly against the floor.

After Master Yoda had left, leaving a vaguely stunned Jedi in his wake, Obi-Wan decided to follow his directions and change his own towards the Gardens. Admittedly, it took Obi-Wan longer than he liked to find his companion for the journey ahead.

 _It's merely because the Temple Garden are so enormous_ , he told himself. As he was searching for Kanan - ahem - _Master_ Jarrus, he decided to take an impromptu stroll. A detour, if you will.

Although it seemed like a halfway urgent mission, no one said he had to leave this minute, so as he looked for Jarrus, he also admired the lush grass and trees and colored flowers blooming all around him.

Twisting his body down the narrow bridge that led to the giant Wilo, he breathed in and sighed out in happiness. This tree was always his favorite. Oh, how he longed to just lay under the branches to watch the wind flow through them like he did as a youngling...but he couldn't. Not right now. He had a newly appointed Master Jarrus to find.

Gazing up at the branches, and stepping forward, he couldn't help but smile lightly at the sight of the sun between the everblooming flowers. He was so entranced at them, and his mind was so scrambled, he didn't even notice the Force signature of the body laying on the other side of the tree.

“I’m multitasking”, he mumbled to himself, looking back at the trunk of the Wilo and shaking his head. “It has nothing to do with the fact that it's been months since I've walked through the gardens...”

“Muttering to yourself is usually a sign of madness, you know?”

Obi-Wan nearly startled in fright at the unexpected voice.

Walking around the trunk to the ‘front’ of the tree (the side adjacent to the Koi Lake), he looked down to see the man he had been searching for. He smirked as the words that were said to him finally registered in his mind.

“Ah, but madness often coincides with brilliance, my friend.” He said as walked over to his ‘horizontally inclined’ friend. Kanan hummed, nodding his head in agreement as he stretched out his arm. The older Jedi grabbed it, clasping tight onto his friends firearm as he pulled, helping him to his feet.

“Anything you need, Master Kenobi?” Kanan asked, his voice humble as he bowed slightly. Obi-Wan bowed in kind.

“Your partnership on a mission, _Master_ Jarrus.” He said with a raised brow. Kanan looked surprised for a fraction of a second before his face melted back into a small smile. “We’ve both been asked by Master Yoda to defend Anakin’s fleet in the Abregado System.”

If the blind Jedi was shocked by this turn of events, he hid it well. Nodding in response to Obi-Wan’s statement, he shook his torso making the dirt that was on his clothes fly out in every direction, and then bent down to wipe the dirt off his pants.

“Alright.” He announced, clapping his hands. His cheery voice did nothing to hide his nerves. “Let’s go.”

 

  
_____

 

  
Once they had gotten to the Ship Yard at the Temple, both Jedi had to part ways.

Despite both of them knowing that they needed to have a serious talk, they walked in opposite directions with no more than a ‘see you later’ and the mental promise of ‘I'll talk to him later’. Neither of them knew what those conversations would have in store, but both of them were going to be hard in their own rights. Kriff, if all went well on this mission then they were home free.

One thing about a long, galaxy wide war that no civilian knew or seemed to grasp was, that most of the people involved had _off days_. There was time between missions, sometimes there were _weeks_ before there were any reports of _‘Enemy activity in the Whatever System’_ and unless there was a planetary wide invasion, only a fraction of the troops and few Jedi Masters and their Padawans went.

It wasn't like the propaganda suggested. There was plenty of food, plenty of people giving their lives and even more willing to fight. The numbers were always big, and the risks even more so, but even the Clones made the conscious decision to go out there. They were their own people, despite their upcoming. If they wanted out, the Jedi weren't going to make them fight.

So, Kanan, with a heavy heart, prepared for the mission. It was nothing fancy, just him heading to his room to strap on his armor and brushing his hand lightly over his broken mask.

Before he had left for the supply run, he had asked Sabine to paint the small butterfly-like picture on the one breastplate that he had, just so he could always have them near his heart. He was glad now that he had it, it was all he could take with him at times like these.

 _I need a new mask…_ he thought with a frown, _…I need their guidance, even now. I need them…_

He didn't let those thoughts linger.

He couldn't afford to stay stuck in the past any longer. He was here now. That's what mattered.

Obi-Wan was telling himself the same thing, like a broken record repeating itself in his head.

Physically, he was counting supplies, checking the troops to see how they were, overlooking the entire operation on one of his data-pads as quickly and as efficiently as he could while he waited for Jarrus.

Mentally, he wasn't there at all.

He was too focused on the Force vision that was still so clear in his head. He was focused on the holo-vid he had watched, and the guilt that surfaced at the mere thought of what he had done. He kept thinking of the warm pulse that tried to lure him, tempt him to do something that was so unlike himself… He was focused on Anakin, his _family_ , and how no matter where he was in this vast universe, he would always worry about him. That thought at least, was familiar.

In all his time training the boy, reckless seemed to actually be his middle name. It was the one thing about him that Obi-Wan never truly got used to. He was a worry wart, and Anakin was a headache waiting to happen.

Somehow, they balanced each other out.

 _Just what have you gotten yourself into now, Anakin…_ he thought to himself as he turned, watching silently as Kanan joined him on the bridge.

 

  
…oOo…

 

  
There were no sounds in the cockpit of the small transport besides the rolling and occasional beep from R2. Books, it seemed, was not one for conversation.

Ahsoka, who was still a bit upset and was mulling around, was checking the screens on her small console by where she was sitting and motioned silently for the Astromech droid to come to her.

“Artoo, can you set up the scanner?” She asked, halting her fingers and using her hands to use the cool metal as a tool to help her spin her chair. R2 was making curious bot noises. “Modulate for any incoming weapons in this area.” She finished off, letting the quiet linger before she cleared her throat.  
  
“And if you can…” the words died before she got the chance to voice them. There was a lump in the back of her throat, and her eyes stung. She wasn't sure what protocol was, and she didn't want to stick her foot in her mouth a second time in one standard day.

“If you can, tune the scanners for life-forms.” The Clone in the co-pilot's seat, _Books_ , finished for her. “Scan as far as you can.” She looked at him, her eyes wide. It was the first time since the jump that she heard him talk.

For some reason, she expected a different voice.

He made no effort to look at her as he said it, or stopped what he was doing for a single second, but the brightness of his Force signature lessened, becoming more blurred.

 _It softened,_ she realized _. It softened up, he softened up. He helped me say the words I couldn't…_

She was sure Books didn't see her smile thankfully at him, but she could see the small upturn of his lips just the same.

“We still need to spot the enemy weapon…”

“Artoo can multitask.” Anakin cut her off, looking back at her with a soft smirk. “Right Artoo?”

Ahsoka shook her head fondly and rose from her seat. She walked up so she could lean against the chair Books was on to talk to her Master.

“How come it's okay for you not to follow the rules, but when I speak up it's all…” she flailed her hands around, choking out a strange gurgling noise when she could find the words.

“Yeah, all…” Books mumbled, waving a single hand in the same manner as she had done. Smiling wryly at him, she smacked him lightly in the head as the two boys in front of her snickered like _children_.

“Doing what the Council says, that's one thing. How we go about doing it, that's another.” Anakin shrugged, hands never leaving the wheel. “I'm trying to teach you as best as I can.”

His eyes turned to her, the smile off of them, and something hard set in its place. She watched him, straightening her back as he looked at her,

“Lives are in danger. The Jedi aren't ones to turn their backs on them.”

“But Master Windu-” she started to say, but stopped short when she noticed the smirk that was back on her Master's face.

“Master Windu has always been a stickler for the rules, and even though he didn't want us out here as a search party doesn't mean he doesn't care about Master Plo Koon, or his troops.” He said softly, weaving the ship through the floating ‘asteroid belt’ of debris. “It might not have seemed like it _at all_ , but he didn't want us out here because we are risking our lives searching for them. He didn't want us out here because he wanted us to be safe.”

“It's not easy to get used to him...but it's the way he is. Being mean and mad is how he cares.” He finished off lamely, not knowing a better way to describe the hardened Jedi.

“Books, switch on the illuminator.” he said after a moment of silence. “We can't afford the fleet missing us in all this debris.”

“Yes, sir.” He nodded, pushing a few buttons on the console in front of him while the white and blue Astromech worked behind the trio.

“Oh, and Ahsoka…” Her Master started hesitantly. “…even if they had said no, getting them was always the plan.”

Ahsoka looked at him. He wasn't uncertain, or uncomfortable, but there was a strange lift in his voice that wasn't there before. Distantly she realized it was self-doubt in his part, a sort of...uncertainty. Almost like he was afraid she was going to lash out, or that he was the one doing wrong.

She wasn't sure which one it was, but the one thing she was absolutely positive about…she would want anyone else as her Master.

She settled for a grateful smile to send back at him, and if both of their shoulders relaxed afterwards, no words needed to be said.

 

  
_____

 

  
“These scanners are practically useless…” Books mumbled, staring at his console as if it personally offended him. Ahsoka supposed in a way, it did. A lot of his brothers were stationed under Master Plo Koon. If they didn't find any survivors, that meant that all those Clones, all those people…Ahsoka shuddered at the thought.

“You have anything on the emergency channel?” Anakin questioned, looking back at his Padawan without missing a beat.

Ahsoka pursed her lips, averting his eyes.

She could hear him sigh faintly.

“We might find things out here you might not want to see Ahsoka…” he murmured, trying to ease her into the thought of finding floating bodies out here. It was one of the things he hated the most, even after all these years. Finding dead bodies never got any easier.

“I know, Master…” She sighed out, her hands faltering. “…I just have to believe that Master Plo and his Troops are alright.”

“How do you know General Plo Koon, if you don't mind me asking?” Books piped up, turning slightly to gauge her expression.

“He’s the one who found me, and brought me to the Temple as a baby…brought me home, where I belonged.” She explained, her voice distant and fond. “Now he's the one astray, and I thought maybe I can find him, and bring him back home…”

“Sir, there's an incoming transmission.” Books exclaimed, resign the serial number on the screen. “It's General Kenobi.”

“Patch him through.” He ordered, his face somber.

They still hadn't found anyone.

 _“Anakin.”_ The voice was staticky, and his holo flickered, but it was definitely Obi-Wan greeting them. _“How are things in the Abregado System?”_

“It's quiet out here.” He responded with a shake of his head. “So far, there's been nothing except the rubble from Master Plo Koon’s Cruisers.”

“We've been trying to scan for any life-forms…” Ahsoka trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

_“Trying being the operative word, I imagine.”_

“Yeah, it seems the Separatists really don't want any witnesses.” Books chimed in, looking at the small holo-transmission.

 _“Well, keep searching.”_ The older Jedi grumbled out, stroking his beard in thought. _“If you don't find anyone within the next couple of hours I'm going to have you rejoin the defensive escorts. We need you, Anakin.”_

 _“Obi-Wan, we’re going to miss the rendezvous with the fleet if we don't hurry up.”_ A background voice added. They didn't know if the person off screen meant to interrupt their chat, or if they knew that Obi-Wan was in the middle of said impromptu meeting, but it didn't matter. There was nothing else to report anyways.

 _“Tell the Admiral we’re nearly there, Jarrus.”_ They heard him say calmly to Kanan, his body obviously turned towards the other Jedi from what they could see. Then, there was faint running in the background and more fogged voices that they couldn't hear before the trio watched Obi-Wan turn to them sharply. _“I have to go-”_

“We’ll make one more round. If we don't find anyone we’ll head back, Master.” Anakin blurted out, suddenly hurrying to end the transmission. Ahsoka and Books looked at each other, frowning in question.

Obi-Wan sighed, bringing his hand up and opening his mouth like he was about to say something, but thought better of it and merely said, _“I’ll see you soon.”_ before ending the transmission.

“Well…that was unusual.” Ahsoka mumbled into the shell of Books’ ear. She wasn't sure in her Master heard her say it, or if he heard the Clone him in agreement, but one thing was for sure…

He was upset.

Neither of them knew how to handle him when he got like this. Ahsoka, for one, had seen him angry multiple times, but this was a reserved sort of anger/frustration/confusion, a cloud of emotions, instead of a solid one. Books on the other hand, had never seen anyone like this except his brothers, and he was 100% positive that Anakin wouldn't want to talk at all. So, they settled for hanging back while the Jedi Master in the cockpit with them started to make another turn through the rubble.

An uncomfortable silence fell, neither one of them willing to question the young Master until R2 rolled back into the room beeping excitedly.

“What is it Artoo?” Anakin asked, voice hopeful. They all watched as R2 whirred, his top spinning as he wobbled closer to his friends.

“He think he’s picked up an emergency signal.” Ahsoka breathed out, jumping back to her station now equally as excited as the droid.

“Trace it, and link the signal to the main console.” Anakin gripped the wheel tighter, looking back at the two before smiling.

“Let's get going.”

 

 

_____

 

 

“Books, are you still picking up that signal?” Anakin hissed, weaving through all the rubble. They had all come this far and if someone was truly out there, they weren't going to leave without them.

“Yessir, but I'm in not finding anyone on my scanners.” He answered back, looking at the screen with a confused expression. Anakin cursed, maintaining his speed.

The Jedi looked back at his Padawan and his droid for a moment to gauge their reactions. Ahsoka was typing away at her station, hellbent on finding the only father she'd ever known, and Artoo was still shuffling through the system to try and boost their scanners. So far, neither of what they were doing was working but hope was high in the air.

“Ahsoka, try to see if you can contact them directly.” Anakin’s voice boomed in the silence. Ahsoka sat straight in bed seat at the proclamation.

“Great idea!” She helped, standing abruptly. “Books, can I take your seat for a minute?”

“Be my guest.” The Clone chuckled, getting up from the co-pilot’s seat.

“Hello, does anyone read me? This is Ahsoka Tano…can anyone hear me?” Ahsoka and the others frowned when she opened the feed to the pod and received nothing but static.

Reaching for the panel, she pushed the record button and tried again.

“Is anyone out there? Come in. This is Ahsoka Tano, do you copy?”

“Artoo, see if you can boost the reception.” Anakin said into the silence, frowning as they received nothing but static from the incoming transmission. For some reason whoever sent out the emergency beacon couldn't respond and that meant that they were either busy, or dead.

Both of those reasons made an unsettling feeling arise in Anakin’s stomach.

Once the white and blue astromech beeped his reply, the Jedi Master turned to his Padawan that still sat in the co-pilot's chair.

“Alright Ahsoka, try one more time.”

He watched as she repeated her words, and frowned when he saw her getting frustrated

“Ugh!’ she screamed, throwing her body back against the chair. Both he and Books winced. The co-pilot’s chair was made out of metal, and not all that comfortable, but it seemed as if Ahsoka didn't even feel the pain of her body hitting it. She was way too frustrated.

“Be patient, Miss Tano.” Books said softly, putting his hand on the young Togruta’s shoulder.“General Skywalker and Artoo are doing their best to try and boost the power. Just give it a few moments.”

Ahsoka looked away, ready to pull her shoulder out of the Clone’s grip, but she couldn’t. She knew that they were all trying their hardest to find anybody who could be out there, and she selfishly only had Master Plo in her sights. Anyone who was out here needed them, and if he survived then he knew how to take care of himself. He was one of the best Jedi at the Temple, something as simple as droids scouting through the rubble wouldn’t stop him, especially since he could survive out in space for a great deal of time.

Not having it in her to talk at the moment, she settled for glancing at the two men that were consoling her and offered them a small smile and relaxed in her seat.

 

  
…oOo…

 

  
“Sirs!” A Clone said, running up to Kenobi and Kanan and gaining the attention of everyone on the bridge. “We’ve got an incoming transmission from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.” the young man panted out, clearly distressed. Obi-Wan looked to him, and then back to the Jedi next to him.

“We’ll be there in a moment.” he said, smiling slightly as the Clone relaxed. There was no need for him to run all the way here, he knew that, so that meant that either communications was down or this message was extremely urgent. Seeing as the transmission was from the temple itself, it was probably the later.

“Kanan, ave you ever been on a cruiser like this?”

“Once or twice.” he responded with a vague smile.

Kanan’s mind drifted to when he and the other Specters would do missions that involved full Stormtrooper gear and the sneaking onto Imperial Star Destroyers. Those missions were full of memories, even though they seemed to always go wrong.

Obi-Wan looked at him with a raised brow, and turned, cocking his head in a way that seemed to say ‘follow me’ and although Kanan couldn't see him, he followed the older Jedi without hesitation.

Kanan followed as Obi-Wan led him through a small hallway behind the bridge of the ship. Inside the room was a small army’s full of Clones, all doing what they were assigned to do. Kanan didn't know the specifics, but he knew that there were plexiglass all around the inner circle of the room surrounding a giant holo-table.

None of the Clones did so much as blink at them when they entered the room and headed to the giant table, they all just carried out their duties without interruption.

Focusing back on the holo-table, Kanan hear as Obi-Wan walked around until he was directly opposite of him and pushed in one of the blinking buttons by where he stood, then calmly walked back over to him and waited for the transmission to come through.

Mace Windu was the first one who got patched through. He greeted them with a small smile and a nod. Master Yoda followed not long after him, his holo flickering on the table.

Then finally, the last person who would be joining their chat popped up on the table, his smile kind and cold.

 _“Senator Palpatine, good to see you, it is.”_ Master Yoda greeted with a polite bow, allowing the three Jedi bow with him with a light ‘hello’.

 _“A pleasure to see you as well my old friends.”_ He responded with a smile as he looked at Yoda, Windu, and Kenobi. The smile was soon replaced with a feigned look of shock once his eyes landed on Kanan’s. _“Ah! And who is this young Jedi?”_

“I'm Master Kanan Jarrus. It's a pleasure to meet you Senator.”

 _“The pleasure is all mine, Master Jarrus.”_ He responded with a polite smile, turning back to the other Jedi in the discussion. Kanan wasn't sure if he liked how Palpatine seemed to completely ignore him. Going by the frown he could feel on Obi-Wan’s face, he didn't seem to like it either. “Now, shall we get to business and begin our discussion?”

In synch, all of the Jedi Masters nodded, preparing physically and mentally preparing themselves for the serious discussion that was about to happen.

 _“We need to figure out a way to destroy this mystery weapon.”_ Master Windu started out a bit hesitantly.

“They won't even know what to look for. The Separatist weapon has never been seen since all of our scouts never end up coming back.” Kanan parried back, not knowing that the expression on Windu’s face that was being sent his way looked like ‘no shit’.

_“In this war, ahead of us, Count Dooku seems to always be.”_

_“Tell me, has there been any word from Master Plo Koon or his fleet?”_ Palpatine asked, looking at everyone as he spoke.

“Anakin and his team can scout the wreckage for any signs of Separatist activity while they're out there, but...” Obi-Wan was the first to respond to the question, shaking his head as his words trailed off.

 _“This weapon eludes us. We must fear the worst if we don't get word soon…”_ his friend picked up, finishing the sentence for him. Mace didn't like the thought of everyone that went out there being gone. His eyes said as much when Obi-Wan nodded to him and carried on.

“We’ve received word that Anakin's team has found the remains of Master Plo Koon’s fleet, but so far they haven't informed us on finding any survivors.”

 _“With his fleet left open, we are left vulnerable-”_ Windu tried to argue, but Obi-Wan cut him off before he could get far. 

“Oh, his fleet is right where it should be, Master Jarrus and I have taken care of it Mace, I assure you.”

_“Twice the trouble, Master Skywalker and Padawan Tano have become.”_

_“Let’s just hope that their decision is not a costly one.”_ Palpatine muttered at the group. Kanan could hear the frown in his voice, and the concern that sounded far off and single minded.

“If Anakin has anything to do with it, it won't be.” Kanan replied back, a steel edge in his voice as the holograms faded out one by one.

 

  
…oOo…

 

 

_“Anakin, the Council is worried. With the mystery weapon still out there, it's not safe-”_

“We can't just give up on these people.” Anakin stated firmly, cutting off his old friend in the process.

 _“A noble gesture Anakin, but the Council feels that it is unsafe and that this mission may put others in danger.”_ Sheev went on, talking to the young Jedi as if he was still a small child.

 _What a load of Bantha poodoo! If the Council felt it was unsafe, they would've contacted me themselves._ Anakin thought, setting his face in a harsh smile as he looked at Palpatine's hologram.

_“Please listen to me Anakin, and return at once!”_

“...I'm sorry your excellency, but I'm going to have to decline your _offer_.” He parried, ending the transmission before the old Senator could get another word in.

It had been weeks since he had talked to his old friend Sheev, but if Anakin was being honest with himself, he hadn't felt the need to console with him like he did before.

Ever since he was a small child, Palpatine had always been there for him, and he had never felt this way towards the other man, but every small conversation over the comms or in transmissions made him feel trapped. He was always asking where he was, why he was there, was he being safe (which, no, he wasn't, what was the even a question?) and most of all, he would wrap up his ‘concern’ for him with harsh words and cold promises. The Sheev he remembered from his childhood had never spoken to him that way, always treating him like he imagined a grandfather would, but lately Anakin himself had been different and had seen every conversation in a different light.

Maybe it was because he had a Padawan of his own, someone young and inexperienced that he had to look after and console, someone he would soon see as a daughter himself but…

He shook that from his mind. _That wasn't it,_ he thought to himself, _it's something else but I don't know what._

Palpatine, as he was now seeing, was very controlling and possessive. Not cruel in his mind, but changed in a way he didn't like.

He was not the man he once knew and if he had anything to do with it, for now, he would keep his distance.

Finally glancing at his charge, he saw her narrowed eyes that were locked onto the console. Maybe he had been projecting, but it seemed like she didn't quite trust the old Senator either.

The three of them basked in the silence. Books, not one to sit idly and twiddle his thumbs, moved himself and shuffled over to the side seat that Ahsoka had been on the whole mission upto this point and started to do what he saw fit. Anakin didn't worry. Knowing that Books and the other two Clones were fairly new to the playing field aside from their mission with _Jarrus_ eased his mind a bit.

Originally, he had picked the three Clones because they had been on the Toydaria mission with the blind Jedi, and he had wanted to see how they worked working under him. So far, they're had been nothing but respect and some light teasing, nothing too strange, but he couldn't get it out of his mind that they worked with him.

He had thought that working with them would ease his mistrust of the Jedi, and though it did to a point, he still couldn't find it in him to be anything but wary of Jarrus.

It was only fair. The blind Jedi had seemed wary of him as well.

Weaving through the debris he felt a shift in the Force, it was faint and he had no way to pinpoint its direction, but now there was no doubt in his mind.

Master Plo Koon was alive.

Anakin looked to his Padawan, seeing her unfocused gaze and slowed down the transport to a full stop. If anyone would be able to find the Jedi, it would be Ahsoka. She was the only one here that knew him best and had formed a bond with him, and that meant that no matter where they were in the universe, they could find each other.

He looked back at Books, leaning back and whispering at the Clone. “Tell Jek and Riot to ready their weapons.”

Books nodded, and quietly got on the comms and informed his brothers on the news.

Anakin smiled. They followed orders well.

So he waited in tense silence, switching off his controls so when the time was right, Ahsoka would lead them to where they needed to be.

 

  
_____

 

  
Ahsoka frowned, glaring at the console. Senator Palpatine, from the stories she’s heard from her Master, was a great man, but the one she had just seemed on screen was rude and controlling. He had tried to tell them that the Council felt the mission was ‘unsafe’ even though the Council was the one to send them out in the first place.

It just didn't make sense, and that didn't sit well with her.

She kept her mouth shut, but when she glanced at her Master, it seems like they had shared similar thoughts.

All of a sudden, her thoughts cut off and in the silence of her mind, she hears whispers.

The bond that she felt with Master Plo tingled in the far corners of her being, almost in a trance, trying to lead her to where she needed to go. She couldn't feel his mind yet, but in the vast expanse of the Force, she saw his signature, his soul like a light at the end of the tunnel.

The voices around her stopped, the smallest hint of warmth glowing on her skin making goosebumps travel across her body.

 _“Ahsoka…”_ the voice, Master Plo’s voice, whispered, his small tendrils of light seeping into her mind.

She tried to hone in on his signature. It was so close, yet so far at the same time. He called to her, and in return she reached out to him, the light of their Force signatures finally clicking together with a snap.

She knew where he was.

_I know where to go…_

“I know where to go!” She yelled in delight, looking to her Master in excitement. “I know…I can sense it!” She gasped out, her hands instinctively reaching for the co-pilot’s controls. She ignored the laughter and R2’s squealing as she drove them all away.

 

  
_____

 

  
“There they are!” She screamed, letting go of the controls in favor of pointing out the view point. Looking to her Master, she vibrated with joy, awaiting instruction.

“Ahsoka, ready the tow cable.” He said with a laugh, not at all hiding his delight when he was her practically run out of her seat.

“All ready, Master.” She said, trying to control her emotions yet openly smiling as Books launched the cable, effectively reeling in the escape pod Master Plo Koon and his clones were clinging to.

Now running down the corridors, Ahsoka stopped to watch with a hopeful glint in her eyes. The pod was reeled in, falling to floor with a loud clang because of the artificial gravity.

“Come on, Books!” She stumbled out, rushing to the pod. The Clone followed her without needing any further incentive.

He went to go check in his brothers while she rushed to Plo’s side.

“Are you okay, Master Plo?” She asked, hesitant to touch his sensitive skin while she kneeled down, grabbing onto his robes and armor to help him up. He was still getting used to shock of the sudden change in atmosphere, but he did smile under his mask. She could tell, his Force signature warmed.

Coughing out and sitting himself against the pod, he waved at it.

“Is there someone still in the pod?” She questioned, looking up at it. Ahsoka saw Master Plo nod out of the corner of her eyes.

Reaching out with her hand, she focused on the viewpoint of the pod and yanked it off, allowing the Clone inside to breath proper air.

Stepping out, the Clone coughed, kneeling over.

“Where's the kriffing Medical Droid when you need it?” Books hissed, rushing to his brother so he could set him down. Ahsoka silently agreed with him.

_They never seem to be around right when they're needed…_

“Will they be okay?” Her innocent voice called out. She looked at Books, worry in her eyes, but as he opened his mouth to respond he was cut off by a door whooshing open.

“The pressure suits offered some protection, but they require a medical frigate and a stable atmosphere for full recovery.” The Med Droid said in his mechanical drawl. _Speak of the Sith…_ Ahsoka thought, rolling her eyes. “I can do no more that stabilize them, sir.”

“Your men are safe now.” She whispered with a small smile.

“Tell me…” Master Plo panted out, finally looking at her. “…were there any other survivors?”

“We…” she trailed off, and deep down, something inside the hardened Jedi broke “...we couldn't find anybody else.”

“The hunters must've destroyed the rest…” he whispered, his voice going deeper as his eyes filled with moisture.

“I'm sorry Master Plo…” Ahsoka whispered, noticing the faint hitch in his voice. Leaning in, she hugged him tight, and Master Plo was grateful for it, even if he didn't quite know what to say.


	9. Evading Shadows Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don't worry Obi-Wan, besides…” There was a faint whirring noise and a small grunt from Kanan’s end before he focused back on the conversation. “…you're going to be the one missing out on all the fun.”
> 
> “You and I have very different definitions of fun, my friend.”
> 
> “Everyone had the same definition of fun, each individual just interprets it differently.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post, but this chapter isn't finished yet! Over the next few days I'm going to be editing my a$$ off, and hopefully by Friday the full chapter 8 part two will be up. 
> 
> For now, you all just enjoy this 5K!

“We managed to track the mystery weapon to this System-” Plo Koon stated, limping as he entered the ‘Bridge’ of the transport ship. Well, ‘bridge’ was pushing it, it was more like a cockpit if anything. “That was when we found out that the mystery weapon was an Ion Cannon.”

“An ion... _cannon_?” The young Togruta questioned, her steps faltering as she turned to look at Plo Koon.

Looking into the vast expanse of space, the older Jedi nodded. “It is a weapon that neutralizes all power to our ships, leaving us defenseless…” Plo Koon trailed off, leaving an uncomfortable silence linger in the cockpit. A weapon that could be used to stop the power on an entire fleet’s worth of ships? The very thought was horrifying.

“Master…there's a massive vessel approaching-”

“Shut down the power systems before they can detect us!” Plo koon nearly screamed as he scrambled for the controls, not even letting Ahsoka finish her sentence. By the time she realized what was going on, Plo Koon had basically shut down all the power systems on the ships.

They floated there, useless and limp while they looked from the viewpoint for the vessel that was approaching. Ahsoka was sure that if anyone came looking for them, they would be lost in all the rubble. They had already been waiting for a few minutes before R2 rolled up to them, beeping quietly.

“The droid!” Master Plo exclaimed at the same time that Anakin hissed, “Artoo!”

The small white and blue astromech beeped questioningly, his whirring scared as he turned his specs to focus on Ahsoka when she jumped from her seat and ran to him.

“Sorry Artoo…” the Togruta mumbled, wincing as she watched him power down.

“Ahsoka, hurry…” She heard her Master hiss as she turned around, but his words trailed off . Staring in awe, Ahsoka dragged herself forward until she was sitting at the controls.

The ship was bigger than any ship anyone of them had ever seen. The front of it was jagged and harsh, looking more like a jaw with teeth than anything else and had to be bigger than any of their starships, making it look like it could ram a Star Destroyer and come out unharmed.

It was obvious that the underbelly of the ship was where the bridge was, which would be almost impossible for them to be able to send out fighters.

“…that is one big cruiser-crusher…” she whispered in horror, staring frozenly at the massive vessel that floated in front of them.

For a while, they watched in baited silence as the massive vessel continued to live forward.

They were so enraptured, they didn't realize that it had stopped until it started to turn around.

“They're coming baack~” Anakin hummed nervously, watching as the massive Separatist ship went from passing them, to making a full 180. He could see from his seat that whoever was in control was getting the ship into attack position, and he didn't want to be stuck in the crossfire.

“Are all the systems shut down?” Plo Koon asked, tilting his head to look at Anakin, but before the younger Jedi could respond, they were interrupted by the cockpit doors opening.

 _“Is there a problem, sirs?”_ The mechanical drawl of the Medical Droid stopped all three in the cockpit from what they were doing. Anakin, for one, looked back in confusion before the features of his face melted into annoyance.

“...we forgot to shut off the medical droid!” Ahsoka hissed, turning in her seat to access the controls so she could try to turn everything back on again.

“We have to get the power back on as quick as we can!”

 _“Can I be of any assistance?”_ The droid said from the doors where it still stood, but nobody bothered to look back at it, all preferring to move as quickly as they could over the controls.

“No thanks. Just get in the back and take care of the clones.” The young Knight growled, finally managing to start the ship. He let out a quiet triumphant ‘yes’ before quickly piloting the ship and turning it to maneuver through the debris field around them.

_“That is my programming-”_

“Come on, we have to get out of here!”

“I know Snips, I know!” He hissed. In the back of his mind were his thoughts on the injured clones that were probably being thrown around in the back, but he couldn't be bothered by it. If they even wanted to be alive and get back to the fleet, he had to be quick, and transport ships were not known for their speed. “Artoo, program the Navi-Computers and be ready to get us out of here!”

“Program the hyperdrive!” The young Togruta yelled frantically. R2 beeped at her, his shrill making a questioning sound as he waited for coordinates. Ahsoka, not one to complain at the moment, snapped at him while she hurried to just get the damn ship moving. “Anywhere, just hurry!”

“By the Force...” she heard her Master mumble. Confused by the awe, she looked up and focused on his face, but when she saw the faint purple glow reflect across his face and the wide eyes, she turned hers to look out the giant viewpoint.

“Holy shit!” She breathed, her hands stalling from what she was seeing.

Master Plo, from what she could see, did the weapon no justice. The Separatist weapon was indeed an Ion Cannon, but it was unlike anything she had ever seen. The ship alone was the size of a small planet, but the beam it had just sent towards them was enormous. The cannon shot out like a plasma bolt, easily spreading itself wide while the energy crackled around it, easily engulfing everything in its path and rendering it useless. As it got further away, the field kept expanding to the point that she was sure at the right distance, it could render an entire planet and its surrounding moons completely useless.

It was horrific, and terrifying in the worst of ways.

The light purple energy wouldn't stop, and it was quickly gaining on them, even with her Master piloting the transport at full speed.

She didn't even realize that they were moving or weaving through the wreckage of Master Plo’s fleet, she too focused on the rapidly approaching energy field.

“Language ‘Soka!” The scolding voice got her out of her thoughts, making her jump in shock. Master Plo, while pale and shaking still managed to find the time to scold her for her quiet exclamation.

“Sorry!” She hissed at him then turned to Anakin. She could see the focus in his eyes, the need to get out of here.

“Were clear!” Anakin yelled, finally relaxing enough to look behind for a brief moment before he punched the hyperdrive and led them all to safety.

 

 

_____

 

 

As they pulled into the hangar quiet and unsure of what to say, they slowly got off, each of them helping at least one hurt Clone walk down the ramp of the transport ship.

Each of them were lost in their minds, still thinking of the weapon and how they had just barely got away.

Anakin though was the only one who was shocked out of his thoughts when one of the Clones, Wolffe if he remembered correctly, limped up to him with a grimace in lieu of a smile. He didn't let it bother him when he could see the gratefulness not only masked across his face but in his voice when he spoke.

“Thanks for getting us out of there in one piece, General Skywalker. Me and my brothers can't thank you enough.”

“Well, you have Ahsoka to thank for that. She's the one who kept saying you guys would pull through.” He chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head with his left hand. He was almost always like this after a mission, suddenly unsure.

Maybe it was because of him growing up around the Jedi, them always averting his eyes. Or, maybe it was because he was that little slave boy at heart.

Whichever one it was, he was never prepared for the gratefulness that came with saving a few wayward souls at the end of a mission. The horrid people that had owned him had never said thank you, and even now, he never expected it. It was his job, his whole life, that revolved around saving people without so much as a second glance.

It was bound to be awkward, especially with his background whenever someone told him a single ‘thank you’.

“General Plo said that someone would come. We're glad he was right.” Wolffe bowed before stumbling along to find a Medic.

“Skywalker, it's time to give our report to the Council. I trust I will see you momentarily.” The tilt at the end of his voice made it sound like both a question and an order at the same time, and he found himself nodding before his brain even caught up to the words that had just come out of Master Plo’s mouth.

“Right...the Council Report. I'm definitely looking forward to that…” he mumbled sarcastically, moving to follow the older Jedi.

As he walked forward, a thought flew into his mind, causing him to smirk and look back at Ahsoka. “Right! Come on, Snips.”

“Y-you want me there? I thought that-well, because of what happened last time-”

“Ahsoka...through everything that happened out there, you never gave up.” He watched as she beamed in pride before continuing with a laugh. “You were amazing, but if I'm going to get in trouble up there you're gonna shoulder it with me, alright?”

“I'm right beside you, Master.” She laughed, jogging to catch up with him.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

“This strike force has been commissioned by the Senate and the Jedi Order to hunt down the Separatists new battleship _The Malevolence_.” Kanan let that small tidbit of information settle with the troops before droning on in a military fashion.

It wasn't what he was used to, and honestly, he didn't want to lead this team, but Obi-Wan had to stay with the fleet and though Anakin was done making his Council Report, he was the one in charge of things ‘on the ground’.

All that mixed in with the new information Anakin had given them just an hour beforehand made him weary.

The whole trip to defend Anakin's fleet had been uneventful for him. Obi-Wan was too enraptured with his ‘duties’ which meant leaving Kanan behind to find his trio and check over all the shipments that had come in and double check that everything was running smoothly on this vessel while his friend was leading them.

The data pad that he had earlier while he was making his rounds was the same one that was in his hand. It was an older model, one that Books had found for him and modified it so it was not only working, but useable. It touched him, brought a bit of warmth to his heart to know that he would go through the trouble of finding him a pad with actual buttons instead of the ‘new age’ touch screens the Jedi were so fond of.

The touch screen data-pads were great, don't get him wrong, but they were for people with eyes which…yeah, no. Kanan definitely couldn't use them unlike some people.

Still, the fact that Books had found him one with a key attachment was _amazing_ , and far simpler for him to use.

“As the bulk of our fleet engages in a frontal assault, we will be on our own. I've managed to develop a plan, and I admit, it's very risky, but if we pull this off it will be a great victory.” He called out to the small army of Clones that were seated in front of him.

“While our capital ships are vulnerable to the enemy’s attack, I believe a squad of bombers can outmaneuver their ion weapon. Our target will be the bridge, and General Grievous.”

_“The head clanker? Our Blinker is getting a little ambitious.”_

_“I don't think that'll stop him, Riot.”_ Kanan stopped to listen in to his Clones chattering behind him, and smiled at the nickname Riot had given him. It was very ironic, but he thought it fit him well. _“Also; Blinker?”_

_“Oh, stuff a cork in it, will ya Books.”_

“Our bombers-” he started again in a louder voice, hoping to drown out the conversation he could hear going on behind him, though a small smile still lingered on his face. “-will come in at high speed, to evade the enemy weapon and concentrate firepower on the bridge here at the tail of the ship, hopefully destroying Grievous and causing the rest of the ship to fall with him.”

“Any questions?” Kanan finished, moving his head around to check over the group with his senses. They seemed apprehensive, but excited for the mission and the chance to take out Grievous.

“Just tell us where that clanker is and we’ll give him a whopping, Sir!”

“Yeah, we've been waiting for a chance to take out that metal-head!”

“Woah, settle down folks.” He laughed, bringing his hands up placatingly. “This mission is very important and very simple. If we destroy Grievous, we may well bring the war to a quicker end.”

“Alright, pilots, go prepare your bombers, we got wheels up in 30.” Anakin boomed to the Clones with a smile and walked up to Kanan. From what he could sense, it seemed like the younger Jedi was checking him over, and the mistrust thick in the air as Anakin hissed.

“Jarrus, this plan is very aggressive. Are you sure the squadron can complete the mission-”

“I have faith in my team, Skywalker.” Kanan snapped, flashing a smile when he heard Anakin pipe down. He could practically feel the fumes of his anger from where he was standing, but Kanan didn't let that deter him. “There hasn't been a mission that they couldn't complete and I don't expect them to bank out, now.”

“Shadow Squadron has always reported back with minimal to no casualties and maximum effectiveness, sir.” A familiar voice piped up, making the two raving Jedi step back in shock. It was one of the clones that would be with him on the mission, and although he could remember the Force signature, he couldn't remember their name.

“While I admire the confidence Matchstick, even then those casualties can prevent you from breaking through Grievous’ defenses. With him on the bridge, it's bound to be well-protected.” The younger Jedi argued, turning to look back at Matchstick while he spoke. It was true, but they would have to take that chance.

They couldn't afford to let the Separatists win this fight.

“Well then, why don't you come up with us, flyboy?” He said in retaliation, not meaning to get a rise out of him, but saying it more as an invitation. He knew that Skywalker was considered the best pilot in the Galaxy, and he knew that he survived the Clone Wars all the way up to Order 66, so he would be a great asset in the field with him.

“With you in the ring, we're bound to destroy the ship and take Grievous down with it.” He baited, hoping that Anakin would take it and go with them. “What do you say, Skywalker? Care to fly with me and the squad?”

There was a beat of silence before Kanan felt Anakin's Force signature flare up in excitement.

“I'd be honored.”

 

  
_____

 

 

“So, which one’s mine?” Ahsoka asked cheerfully, eyeing the fighter’s with both excitement and curiosity.

“You're with Jarrus.” Anakin chirped back. “As his gunner.”

He chortled with laughter when he saw Ahsoka still and roll her head to look at him with a mixture of disbelief and incredulously.

“Someone's gotta watch him.” He parried when she glared at him, and smiled even wider when she responded.

“You could do that, and you have Artoo.”

“But I think Master Jarrus will enjoy your company, my Padawan-”

“Just admit it! You don't trust him.”

“No, I-no, it's not that, it's just I…” Anakin let his voice trail off, not knowing what to say. “...Alright! I don't trust him, but I trust you. That's why I need you to be his gunner. Also…”

While it was true that he didn't trust the blind Jedi, that wasn't the reason he wanted his Padawan to go with him. It was more because of Obi-Wan if he was honest with himself. As much as he didn't like Jarrus, Obi-Wan trusted him wholeheartedly, and if anything happened to either himself or the blind Jedi, he wasn't sure of Obi-Wan could continue to be... _himself_.

Sure, he'd still be there, but Anakin was sure he wouldn't be _whole_ anymore, even if his Master realized it or not.

Obi-Wan, he had realized for whatever reason, was attached to him in a way that was almost similar to the way that he was attached to him. There was a bond there, small and frail, but forming. If it severed now, there wouldn't be much damage mentally, but his Master would still feel it.

So, as much as he didn't like nor trust Kanan Jarrus, he _could **not**_ let him die on this mission or anytime soon.

“He's blind?”

“...Yeah.” He mumbled, not fully paying attention to her anymore, so he just settled on continuing to work on getting his fighter ready, and let her hissed complaints fall on deaf ears.

“You are _unbelievable_ -”

“Skywalker-” Master Plo Koon interrupted, calmly walking up to the duo in step with Admiral Yularen. “-we've just got word that the enemy warship has attacked our convoy of medical transports near Ryndellia.”

“Medical transports?” Anakin listened in, vaguely recognizing the incredulously in his Padawan’s voice. “Only Grievous would attack innocent clones who can't fight back!”

 _The Ryndellia System is near Naboo_...he thought, an edge of panic seeping in.

“Isn't that where our Medical base is? I bet that'll be his next target.” Anakin chimed in quickly, Padme’s face flashing in his mind. _Her fear, her panic, her last choked breath, her calling out to him and dying and for some reason he can't save her. He can never save her-_

“There are many star clusters in that area. With a ship that big, he will be unable to chart a course that's less than ten parsecs.” He shook those thoughts away, trying to refocus on the conversation. He only ended up half-listening, the vision coming back into his mind in flashes.

He had seen this, a hundred times, and each time it was the same but this time they felt _different_.

“Looks like we’re gonna have to take some sort of shortcut, then.” The young Togruta joked, though there was an edge of seriousness to her voice.

 _Good_. Anakin thought. _She can't afford to take this lightly._

“I suggest you report this back to General Jarrus before you decide to do anything...unwise.”

“Don't worry, Admiral.” He soothed, holding up his hands. “I'll inform him once I head over to his fighter.”

“In the meantime,” Yularen drilled on, not bothering to respond to Anakin’s words. “You should warn that station on what's headed their way.”

“If you lose any ships before you reach the target-”

“Don't worry Master Plo, we won't lose anyone.” The younger Jedi smiled tightly, turning fully to face Plo Koon. He knew that even now, not everyone in the Temple fully believed in him, but Master Plo had always treated him with utmost confidence and respect.

Maybe the concern he felt from him was aimed towards Ahsoka’s well being, or maybe it was the dread that lingered in the air, but Anakin had never seen Master Plo act this way.

It was a little unnerving, but also, in a way, heartwarming.

Ahsoka watched silently, her face masked with curiosity and concern before turning to look at her father figure. The older Jedi was watching her too, and she smiled at him slightly before shaking her head.

“I will come along to escort you to your Pilot, little ‘Soka.”

“Thanks Master Plo.” She said warmly, turning and falling into step with him.

 _Two missions in a row where I don't have my own ship…_ Ahsoka hummed in her head, crossing her arms and shrugging before walking off in search of Master Jarrus.

 _...at least this time I'm a co-pilot_.

 

 

…oOo... 

 

 

“Hello Master Jarrus.”

“Ahsoka!” Kanan laughed, not at all surprised by her appearance. He could hear her and Master Plo Koon’s quiet chatter quite a ways down, so her greeting was very welcome and expected. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Even though he still wasn't all that comfortable around this Ahsoka, she was Ahsoka all the same. His body would relax around her without him even realizing it, but in his mind, he couldn't bring himself to confide in her. She was still so young, so naive. He wouldn't be the one to shatter the illusion she had on the world, the one she had on the Jedi.

“I've been sent to inform you that _The Malevolence_ has attacked our convoy of medical transports near Ryndellia. My Master is thinking of taking a shortcut so we can blindside them somehow.”

“Ryndellia is the system near Naboo…” He hummed, bringing his hand up to stroke his beard in thought while the other rested on his hip. “...there's an old gas field that smugglers and slavers used to transport their shipments, so if we need a shortcut we can go through there. It's dangerous, but it’ll work.”

“I will inform Master Skywalker of this.” Kanan nods in thanks to Master Plo and listens as he leaves to find Skywalker.

“Is there anything else you need, Ahsoka?”

“Well…Master Skywalker wants me to be your gunner for this mission-”

“It's because I'm blind, huh?” Kanan joked, though it sounded choked in his ears. He breathed out silently through his nose as Ahsoka laughed at him in partial agreement, making him smile. He was just glad that him not having his eyes didn't make her uncomfortable.

_I really need to get a new mask…_

“That and he noticed you don't have an astromech in your fighter.” She continues with an airy giggle, trying to control herself.

“That's because I didn't ask for one but…” he thought about the downside’s of having her there, but he really couldn't think of one that was anything other than ‘she’ll make me uncomfortable’ which, if he was honest with himself, was pretty pathetic. If anything, he needed her there. He had wanted to be alone, not taking an astromech because he felt it would be dishonest to Chopper’s memory, but he did need one.

He couldn't do it all by himself.

 _Now’s **not** the time to think about this, Jarrus. _ He scolded himself, twitching his head in aggravation.

“…i'd be honored to have you as my gunner.” He ended up saying, bowing at her in thanks while her Force signature flared up in warmth. He listened, making sure she got into the fighter safely before turning and walking around the ship to load the fuel.

“Kanan-”

“Obi-Wan?” He jumped, turning in confusion. Obi-Wan was supposed to be on the bridge with Admiral Yularen

“I've just overlooked your battle strategy for Shadow Squadron…” The older Jedi said to him, his shoulders squared and tense. Kanan frowned. Something was troubling him, and for some reason he didn't think it was just because of him. “This plan you have is _dangerous_ Kanan-”

“I know. It's reckless, and risky, but we can't afford for this weapon to stay in our enemy's hands.” He interrupted, trying to argue his point. It seemed to appease him for the time being, so Kanan drilled on.

“Look-” he mumbled, grabbing Obi-Wan’s arm and dragging him away from the fighter. He didn't want Ahsoka to be listening in to this conversation. For some reason, it felt wrong to have it in front of other people. “I'll have Ahsoka as my gunner, Anakin at my back, and some odd number of Clones that have always come back with a win. I'll be fine.”

“I'm not here to berate you, my friend, just to offer concern.” He said, reaching his hand to grab his upper arm.

“I'll be _fine_ , Obi-Wan.” He said calmly, trying to reassure the older Jedi.

“I'll be at the bridge awaiting your departure.” Obi-Wan sighed out and slid his hand up to grab Kanan’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “May the Force be with you.” He said, finally bringing his hand back and clasping them behind him as he stepped away to give Kanan some space.

Kanan listened and waited to get in the fighter until Obi-Wan turned and walked away.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

Obi-Wan sighed tiredly, leaning against one of the many hallways in the massive cruiser he was in, bringing his hands up and wiping the expression off his face. He was alone here, no Clones running around, no officers making reports, not even droids rolling about to do their own duties. It was just him, alone, in a grey hallway watching the lights flicker and the feeling the air current flow.

Relaxing against the metal confines of the hallway, he sighed, taking in the air and mentally cataloging his aches and pains.

His shoulders ached. His back ached. His headaches were only getting worse. The longer this war droned on, through the months it looked and felt as if there was no end in sight.

 _Now is not the time for thoughts like this._ He tilted his head away with a frown, trying to clear his mind.

After his moment of rest, Obi-Wan straightened up. Putting his shoulders back, he breathed in, smoothed out his tunic and fixed his belt before turning down the hall and working through the maze to get to the Bridge.

 

 

_____

 

 

“Launch the fighters Admiral.” Obi-Wan announced, voice steady and chin held high as he walked through the Bridge door. He couldn't let them see how all this was affecting him.

Admiral Yularen searched his face for a few brief moments before nodding and turning to the Clones stationed in front of him. “Fighters, ready for take off in three…two…”

“You seem concerned, General.” Yularen mumbled, standing next to Obi-Wan who merely nodded back in silence.

“I am.” He said distractedly, watching the fighters fly out of the hangar and get into a large circle-esque formation in front of the cruiser. He watched patiently as they all checked their gear, and their communication units, the hum of the Clone’s voices providing a good distraction as he opened a private link to both Anakin and Kanan’s fighters.

“…I hope you know what you're doing, Kanan.” He mumbled, forcibly relaxing his shoulders. “You too Anakin since you weren't even assigned this mission.”

 _“Well, if I don't, I won't be around to hear the ‘I told you so’ Master.”_ His ex-Padawan joked. It did nothing to soothe his nerves.

“That's reassuring.” He muttered dryly in response, rolling his eyes.

“While you heathens take your shortcut, I'll be taking the long way, but you better still be there when I arrive.” Obi-Wan

 _“Don't worry Obi-Wan, besides…”_ There was a faint whirring noise and a small grunt from Kanan’s end before he focused back on the conversation. _“…you're going to be the one missing out on all the fun.”_

“You and I have very different definitions of fun, my friend.”

_“Everyone had the same definition of fun, each individual just interprets it differently.”_

_“We’ll be there Obi-Wan.”_ Anakin interrupted their banter, sounding both jokingly disgusted and exasperated at the same time. His tone alone made Obi-Wan stroke his beard in thought.

It seemed like they needed to have another talk.

He didn't know why Anakin was so harsh towards Kanan, or why he was so untrusting. Grand Master Yoda liked him, made him a General and a fully fledged member of the Jedi Order. He wouldn't have done that if there was the slightest inclination that he was anything less than trustworthy.

 _“Shadow Squadron, tighten formation.”_ Jarrus called before shutting off his transmission, the rest of them following as ordered.

"Call in." Obi-Wan boomed, his voice carrying on through the comms into all the fighters. Through the window, he could see them all hovering in their formation, ready and waiting.

_"Shadow Leader, standing by."_

_“Shadow 1, standing by.”_

_“Shadow 2, standing by.”_

_“Shadow 3, standing by.”_

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

“I know, Artooie.” Ahsoka said to R2 through the comms system, smiling as she listened to him chirp and whir around in her Masters fighter. “This is gonna be one tough ride.”

“Pipe down on the comms, please?” Kanan mumbled, turning his head so Ahsoka could hear him better.

_“Shadow 11, standing by.”_

_“Shadow 12, standing by.”_

_“Fighter escort, ready to fly.”_ Anakin hummed. Kanan could hear the smile in his voice and the small laugh when R2 also beeped in anticipation.

 _That droid is too much like chopper…_ Kanan thought with a laugh.

 _“This is Admiral Yularen, you are cleared to jump to hyperspace.”_ The clear voice booked through the headset. Kanan straightened his back, putting his hand on the controls. _“Good hunting, and may the Force be with you all.”_

 _“Thank you Admiral.”_ Anakin hummed in the background. It was easy to cast out his voice and focus on leading the troops.

“All right boys, and Ahsoka-” Kanan said jokingly, almost as an afterthought. That small joke let the Clones relax in the easy atmosphere he created, and laugh off the stress he could feel from them. “-let's go.”

“Hey boys, if we make it through this one, drinks are on me.” He laughed, revving up his engines. Behind him, Ahsoka’s light brightened just the slightest bit, but it was enough to ease his own nerves a bit.

 _“I can already taste it, sir.”_ Broadside, the Trooper in Shadow 2 cheered, making him chuckle in response.

“Please, Kanan or Jarrus is just fine.”

_“Yes Gener-Jarrus, sir.”_

He and Ahsoka smiled, huffing at his stuttering, and flipped some switched in the cockpit, prepping the engine for hyperspace.

“On my leave.” He ordered, making the jump, the swirling colors and white stars rushing past the windows while the rest of the team followed his lead.


	10. Face the Odds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He had to take care of his men here. Anakin and Kanan could take care of themselves, they were more than capable, but no matter what he did, Obi-Wan couldn't help but worry about the both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a lying liar who lies. 
> 
> I'm sorry my posting has been so sporadic. These last two weeks have been chaos, and I've been trying my best to write but with everything going on with the family and work + the writers block, well...late posting happens. 
> 
> This chapter is really short. Not the shortest, but shorter than the last few and I'm sorry about that. 
> 
> I'll try to update as often as I can.

“Woah…” Ahsoka breathed out, looking at the giant mass of swirling green, red, and yellow gas within the nebula. She knew from readings how stars would form within the giant gas clouds and she was sure there was something in there about gravity being weird and electrical surges, but right now she could only stare wide-eyed in wonder. She had never been this close to a nebula before, and now she would actually be passing through one. It was overwhelming and exciting and terrifying all at once.

“Yeah, crazy right?” Kanan mumbled back, his voice light. He had seen the wonders of this nebula, and others, before but each time he saw another one or felt the sheer energy radiating out of one took his breath away.

 _“Okay, so if we can just manage to navigate through the nebula, we’ll be home free.”_ Anakin’s voice hummed through the comms. It almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself that everything was going to be fine and failing spectacularly.

“Nebulas are very unpredictable, and this one especially. Me and my crew used to fly through here on supply runs.” Kanan turned his head back to Ahsoka, but since his headset was on, some of the boys heard him.

 _“Don't worry Master Jedi, Shadow squadron can handle our own, right boys.”_ One of the Clones, Matchstick, boomed into the headset, a cheer of agreement rolling its way through the rest of the crowd at his exclamation.

That made him smile, and his heart tick a little faster in sadness. These men he was fighting with, Matchstick in general reminded him of Zeb and Ezra, at times even Sabine since she too was so willing to rush into a fight.

Their willingness, their absolute trust in him was astounding.

It made him feel warm.

“Does anyone care what the Padawan Learner thinks about this?” Ahsoka's voice came out a little higher than what it usually was when asking her question.

“Of course we care, Snips.” Her Master’s voice filled the speakers, his tone was as if he was talking to a small child.

“We’re still going through the nebula.” Kanan parried after him, laughing at her noise of indignation.

 

 

_____

 

 

 _“This soup is thick…”_ Kanan heard Matchstick mumble to himself over the comms. His voice was filled with a mixture of awe and horror, having never seen anything like this before. _“I have a question, Jarrus.”_

“Shoot Matchstick.”

_“How the kriff do you know where you're going?”_

Taking a moment to figure out his response, Kanan found that he didn't actually have anything to say. He wasn't sure how, even being blind, he could _see_ more than most. Maybe it had to do with his now heightened senses, but the universe was different now. For him, it meant a whole new realm of possibilities. He was no longer easily persuaded, it was easier to distinguish individual Force signatures between the Clones and his peers, and no matter where he went, somehow he knew where everything was whether it was an extra step on a set of stairs or someone hiding in the shadows.

He stayed quiet for a long time, contemplating his response but couldn't really come up with anything.

“The Force works in mysterious ways.” He settled on, huffing at the round of laughter he caused. “Just keep your eyes on my thrusters. We’ll get through this soon enough.”

“They’ll have to the whole way Master Jarrus. The scanners are useless.” Ahsoka said to him, clicking some buttons on the control panels that surrounded her.

_“This is old fashioned flying, Ahsoka. You're going to have to feel your way through it to stay on course.”_

“Skywalker is right.” Kanan agreed with the younger Jedi. As he noticed her discomfort, he said to her. “Try to clear your mind, and maybe you’ll see the way.”

“Right now, I can't see anything at all.”

“Oh no, what a nightmare.” He said dryly, causing another round of laughter as he felt her Force signature well up with embarrassment.

“...sorry.”

 

  
_____

 

 

“Hey, Master Jarrus?” Ahsoka asked, an innocent tilt in her voice.

“Hmm?”

“How did you know about this shortcut?”

“It's…” Kanan hesitated for a moment, but shook his head and barreled on. “...it's an old smuggler’s route.”

“Smuggler’s route?” She echoed, and Kanan didn't need eyes to know that she had rolled her eyes at him and replied in a dry voice. “That makes me feel better.”

“Me and my old crew used to fly through here sometimes…” He explained, his voice wistful and catching in his throat. It felt wrong to admit this to anyone, especially her, in the middle of a mission instead of the sanctuary of his private quarters back on Coruscant, but she needed to know. Ahsoka had actually flown through here in the past, and that was how he knew it was here, but she wouldn't have to fly though here ever again if he succeeded. “The Balmorra Run…that's what they call it. Smugglers and slavers would pass through here with their shipments-”

 _“Were you a smuggler? Is that what I'm hearing Jarrus?”_ Anakin interrupted coyly, trying to be friendly though Kanan could feel a sliver of hostility.

_He grew up on Tatooine, all smugglers are scum to him…_

“You wish, Skywalker.” He responded in a joking matter, hoping it would calm him down enough. “But to answer your question, no, I was not.” There were chuckles over the comms.

“My crew…we weren't always on the safe side of the law. There were times when we had to…” he pauses, inhaling sharply and shaking his head from the thought of his family almost dying by the Empire's hands countless times. “…but my kids needed food, and I didn't always have the credits. Sometimes things happened, and we had to get away.”

He hoped that this was the end of the short conversation. He didn't want to have to explain or remember any of that right now. Those conflicting emotions could get him killed, especially out here.

 _“...I'm sorry Jarrus. That seems rough.”_ Anakin sounded choked up, and for a brief moment, Kanan wondered why until-

“Wait, you have kids?!” Ahsoka interrupted his thoughts.

“...I…” _No, I don't, not anymore. They're lost in a different world, in a different future. I'm trying to create a better one for them so they can be happy, even if that means I'm not in the picture. In any of theirs._ “…that's a story for another time, Ahsoka.”

 _And it would be quite the story…_ he said to himself in his head. Kanan could guess from the stillness over the comms that pretty much everyone had the same thoughts running through their heads about Ezra and Sabine. They all probably thought they had died somehow, and though that wasn't technically true, it wasn't a lie either.

Ezra and Sabine hadn't even been born yet, which was a weird thought.

So, instead of piping up and correcting their thoughts, he let it roam. He couldn't take back what he said. They all knew he had kids, and they were all people capable of thinking what they did, but they would also probably talk to their brothers about it. People are people, and they talk about what they see and what they feel and what they hear and know.

Kanan let them simmer in their thoughts.

No, he wasn't a war hero, but like everyone in war, he had lost something too.

“I think I'm picking up a contact.” Ahsoka said hurriedly, finally breaking the silence.

Like a rubber band finally breaking, Kanan felt a snap resonate through the Force. It was directed at him, that much he knew, and it was coming from Anakin’s general direction so he could only assume one thing. Hearing the beep through the headset signaling a private conversation was the confirmation he needed that something big was about to happen between the two of them.

 _“...Jarrus, earlier did you say The Balmorra Run?”_ Anakin hissed into his ear, and Kanan tried not to wince at the tone.

“Yes, I did.” He nodded, feeling a huge presence just a few hundred meters to the left of his fighter.

_“Kanan, we need to turn around now-”_

“We can't! Not if we're going to catch Grievous-”

“Another contact! This one’s much larger!” The young Togruta screamed, not understanding what she was seeing on the scanners. Anyone linked into their frequency could have heard the panic in her voice, but since Anakin and Kanan were still arguing, her frantic shouting just faded into the background of their conversation.

_“Jarrus, this cloud is the nesting ground of the giant Neebray Mantas-”_

“Another contact! And another!” At this point, Kanan could feel the nervousness all around him from the Clones in the other fighters, causing him to shake out of frustration and snap-

“Don't you think I know that Skywalker!”

 _“Why in Maker’s name would you bring us through here_ willingly _-”_

Ahsoka gasped loudly, catching the attention of the two arguing Jedi.

_Kriff! Karabast! Shit! I just stepped in a giant fucking wad of Bantha poodoo and I don't know any other cuss words!_

“Those gas-gulpers are huge.” Ahsoka squeaked out, spluttering at the massive size of the animals. Kanan knew from personal experience that they were bigger that their cruisers, and less predictable since they were alive and quick to defend themselves if need be. And with all the chaos going on around them, he guessed that the giant deep-space dwellers were already on edge.

 _“Don't shoot at them or they’ll panic.”_ Anakin yelled, his calm voice not betraying a single emotion even though he and Kanan were just arguing moments before. Kanan had to give him props for staying level-headed in front of his troops.

_“These things are gonna make a meal out of us-”_

“All wings, line up behind me.” Kanan interrupted Matchstick before those negative thoughts could get into anyone else's head, but right as he was about to praise his quick thinking, one of the Neebray Mantas lashed out, and it's tail fin hit the Clone’s fighter nearly head on his turbines.

“Matchstick, report!” The bearded Jedi yelled. The mission hadn't even gotten to the fun part and he would be damned if he lost any fighters today.

 _“Ah!”_ There was a shrill scream over the comms. _“I just lost my astromech and my stabilizers, sir!”_

Kanan cursed more in his head as Anakin responded to the nearly frantic Clone.

_“Keep it together!”_

_“I got it, sir.”_

“That one looks hungry-”

 _“Nah, it's just smiling at you.”_ Anakin said quickly, interrupting Ahsoka and Kanan couldn't keep back his bark of laughter. He coughed, smiling into his hand and tried to smother his giggles when Ahsoka reached over and smacked him in the arm. He could hear the rest of the Clones laughing lightly in the background.

“We’re coming out of the nebula.” Kanan managed to get out through his laughter. He couldn't really tell, but going by the sound of Anakin’s voice he was trying, and possibly failing, to hold back a smile as well.

_“Well Jarrus, let’s hope your shortcut worked out.”_

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

_“The medical station reports show that 50% of the patients have been evacuated.”_

“That's not good enough.” Obi-Wan argued, setting his spine straighter and shook his head while he stroked his beard. Looking away from the screen, he frowned. “They won't finish the evacuation before Grievous arrives.”

_“General Jarrus and General Skywalker still have a chance to intercept the Malevolence and catch Grievous.”_

“Let's just hope they get there in time. We have to be ready to fight if necessary, Admiral.”

 _“I agree.”_ Admiral Yularen replied and ended the video conference with a bow.

Obi-Wan stayed where he was standing, only moving to stroke his beard in thought.

Kanan and Anakin were behind schedule. It was very slight, but their slim chance of getting to General Grievous in time for them to ambush him just got that much smaller.

General Grievous, for the slimy coward he was, was highly intelligent when it came to strategy and he had killed so many Jedi in his lifetime it was hard to keep track of the names. He was a worthy opponent, not many faced him and came out unscathed, and those who did were never the same.

 _I wonder if he was the one who gave Kanan that dreadful scar…_ Obi-Wan thought with a grimace.

Kanan's face, though mostly intact, had a nasty jagged scar that crossed over both eyes. It had been deep enough to rid him of his eyeballs, or at least he thought so, since his eyes always seemed to be closed, and Obi-Wan was sure that the rest of his body didn't look much better. If Grievous had gotten to him before, he could only hope that he wasn't emotionally compromised by the mission parameters. Going head on with the being that had taken a part of yourself from you would be hell, and having that anger inside, that thirst for revenge was never healthy and not the way of the Jedi.

Of course, Obi-Wan didn't know if he was the man that had taken Kanan's eyes, but it would make some kind of sense.

Anakin, on the other hand, was a completely different story.

He knew of his ulterior motive when he first caught wind of him leaving with Shadow Squadron. Anakin had never been a fan of the blind Jedi, and although his distrustful attitude was starting to soften, it wasn't by much. He took ‘Kanan's Clones’ with him on his last mission, and this time he was accompanying the man himself, but he couldn't for the life of him understand why.

The mistrust was misplaced. There was no reason for him to dislike Kanan, and yet the younger Jedi hated him with passion. His anger was clouding his mind in the worst of ways, and Obi-Wan was beginning to worry he would snap. He had never really been in control of his emotions, not fully, and he could only hope that the fog of hatred that lingered would disappear after they made it back, after he saw just how trustworthy Kanan was.

_**If** they make it back you mean…_

_No! They will make it back! Stop with these negative thoughts Obi-Wan! Just, stop and focus. Focus…_

He had to take care of his men here. Anakin and Kanan could take care of themselves, they were more than capable, but no matter what he did, Obi-Wan couldn't help but worry about the both of them.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

Once out of the Nebula, Anakin took the time to look at the other ships surrounding him. Matchstick, the one that was hit by one of the Neebray Mantas, his fighter looked like it was partially on fire. There were sparks flying out of it.

“Jarrus, we can't take any more risks like that.” Anakin insisted, his voice strong. “We can't lose anybody.”

_“ …I know, Anakin.”_

Despite what he had thought of the man, Anakin had to admit, he was a good leader. He could feel and see just how sincere he was when it came to the Clones and his Padawan, and Anakin begrudgingly started to like him, if only very _slightly_. Kanan Jarrus was honorable, he cared about the cause and his men, and even if he was still _very obviously hiding something_ , Kanan wasn't as bad a man as he had previously thought.

He still didn't like him though.

“Look, Jarrus-”

 _“Sirs, there's another contact.”_ Ahsoka’s staticky voice hurriedly added, breaking the conversation before it could start. _“I thought you said they wouldn't follow us out of the nebula.”_

Anakin frowned, focusing on his instincts and the contact showing on his screen. It wasn't one of the mantas, it was coming in too fast in the scanners, and though it was coming from behind them, it wasn't coming out of the nebula.

 _“No...no that's not a manta…”_ He faintly heard Kanan say in the background. He had put all his focus into locating the source, and when he finally figured it out, he gasped. _“…it's a ship.”_

“It's Grievous.” Anakin growled out, his hands tightening on the controls.

 

 

_____

 

 

The fear that shot through Ahsoka was harsh and paralyzingly, stealing the air from her lungs and making her unable to take another breath. Facing down droids and slimy politicians was one thing, bt she had never faced anyone like General Grievous.

Sure, she knew he was a caped coward, but all the reports she had read on him were drowned in red. He had killed so many people, Clones, and Jedi alike. He had killed some of her friends, Jedi Masters she knew from childhood, and she'd be damned if he took any of hers!

Then, the unspeakable happened.

She watched in muted horror as Grievous started charging up the Ion Cannon towards the ships leaving their Med Station, and once it washed over them, he shooting everything he got at the medical transports that had just deported from the station.

She was so absorbed in the crashing and burning of the transports, she wasn't looking at The Malevolence to see what Grievous had just launched their way.

 _“We’ve got fighters incoming!”_ Her Master yelled, his booming voice shocking her and making her jump. She had no time to watch the ships explode, Master Jarrus had to bank right to avoid blaster fire.

It was amazing, seeing what he could do this close. He was winding through the chaos like a man on a mission, avoiding getting hit by mere inches. Watching him this up close was…she didn't even have words for it.

She had never been able to feel his power, he was always masked by the mission at hand or suppressing it from those around him, and even now she knew he wasn't at full power, he was just using a sliver of his energy to know which ways to turn and maneuver the fighter.

“Get those fighters off our backs, please.” Kanan hissed at her through clenched teeth.

“Your flying is kinda making it difficult, Master Jarrus.” Her button mashing was sporadic at best, she didn't want to waste ammo.

The fighting went on like this for another minute or so, until Kanan suddenly jerked the ship up and yelled. “Everybody, pull up NOW!”

She was confused, up until she tilted her head and saw that General Grievous had shot a blast from the Zion Cannon and it was now headed their way.

 _“Shadow 2, your speed is dropping.”_ Her Master’s voice filtered in through the headset. He sounded winded, and worried, which was not a good combination.

“...Shadow 2, fall back.” Kanan announced, making her and some of the other Clones yell in surprise. “Avoid the Ion Cannon’s blast and rendezvous with Obi-Wan’s fleet.”

_“Sir, I can make it-”_

“That's an **order** , Matchstick.” The voice was dark, and deep. He had growled it out like it was poison and it was terrifying. Ahsoka waited, still not breathing when Matchstick replied to Kanan.

_“...Yes, sir. Pulling away.”_

“I am not losing anyone today, you guys got that?” He yelled, voice nearly frantic and not waiting for anyone to respond before he drilled on. “I know you're all okay with sacrificing yourselves for the cause, but I am not losing any men today.”

The _'Not if I can help it…'_ went unspoken, though everyone could clearly hear it in his voice.

 _“Shadow Squadron, check in.”_ Anakin mumbled, sounding relieved and frustrated at the same time. Not everyone had made the drive up, which meant that the plan was falling apart.

“We’re down Matchstick and Tag.” Ahsoka sighed out. Things were getting messy and she was getting worried about all of them. “Shadows 6 and 7 were caught in the blast but should otherwise be okay.”

“Right.” Kanan whispered to himself and bowed his head in thought. A second passed before he nodded. “We’ll call in Obi-Wan for a retrieval squad once he arrives. Everyone else, follow me and stay on course.”

_“Jarrus, we need a new plan.”_

“There's too many guns…” she whispered, her and her Master’s voices were drowned by the chaos. The rest of the Squad was following Kanan in a straight line, but Grievous was still firing everything they got at them.

“Skywalker-”

_“Yes?”_

“You wanna help me take out the Ion Cannon?”

_“Only if you talk pretty to me.”_

“If we make it, we can finally have that talk you've been telling me about.”

_“...Deal.”_


	11. Evading Shadows Pt. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Spinning isn't flying you know!” Kanan yelled, gripping onto the back of Obi-Wan’s seat, hoping he wouldn't fly off and get a concussion.
> 
> “Hey, it's not my fault you're not wearing a seatbelt!” Anakin laughed, yanking his hands to the right to continue spinning and doing his crazy tricks.
> 
> This went on for another minute, but to Kanan, it felt eons longer. Some of the loose objects from inside Anakin's ship had started tumbling around, occasionally hitting him in the head and…other appendages, so when he finally docked, Kanan slumped down, sprawled out on the side of the ship since they had to dock from a weird angle on the Malevolence. 
> 
> He laid there, breathing harshly as the two famous Jedi before him calmly took off their seat belts and maneuvered themselves to the docking platform.
> 
> “...I hate you.” Kanan mumbled, puffing from exertion while Obi-Wan offered him his hand and helped him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOH BOOOY this chapter is my longest one yet! It's a whopping 14K words and I am sooooooo proud of it! I decided to make it extra long for you folks since I've been kinda lacking in the previous chapters, but lemme tell you this. 
> 
> Shit. 
> 
> Goes. 
> 
> DOWN. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it, i know I enjoyed writing it, and keep looking out for the next chapter because this won't be the last, I promise you that!

Grievous was targeting the Medical Station, that much was clear. He knew that all of the soldiers for the Grand Army of the Republic were cloned here, so that meant that he also knew that if he targeted the station, it would only take a few more large scale battles to end the war.

If Grievous won this battle, the Empire would soon rise from the ashes of the fallen worlds, and the galaxy would be damned into an eternity of submission. He couldn't let that happen.

“Guys, if we can damage the cannon enough, we may be able to overload it when General Grievous tries to fire.” Kanan said, flying the x-wing expertly through the blaster fire. He was a safe enough distance away from The Malevolence guns to dodge and spin out of the way.

 _“You heard him boys. Let's take out that cannon.”_ Anakin partied with a laugh in his voice.

Leading the squad, Kanan dove in between the cannon and made sure his torpedoes were locked onto the starboard cannon. Waiting for the rest of his men to check in that their weapons were locked, Kanan smiled in satisfaction as he said his next words.

“Fire.”

And with that simple demand, Shadow Squadron released their torpedoes on the Ion Cannon, and watched in glee as the weapon exploded with a flash of rainbow colors before imploding towards The Malevolence.

There was a round of laughter and excitement as the team watched the warship implode and explode all around the exterior, and as much as Kanan wanted to be excited with them, he couldn't. This plan had worked, but it wasn't his plan. It wasn't what was supposed to happen, and Grievous was still alive because he had gotten cocky and sure of himself.

“Good work Shadow Squadron-” he forced himself to say in an uplifting tone, frowning at himself internally. “-and you too Ahsoka.” He finished, knowing she would ‘complain’ otherwise. Although it was true she was the only girl on the mission, she managed to keep up with the rest of them, and that in itself was very impressive.

It wasn't long after the ship stopped exploding that three Republic warships entered the system. He could only assume it was Obi-Wan’s fleet, and so he led the squad towards the cruisers to make contact.

_“Anakin and Kanan, do you copy?”_

“We’re here Obi-Wan.” Kanan smiled, finally relaxing in his seat. This battle was over, but he knew there would only be so much time before the next one started. Grievous was still alive, and the Malevolence was down, by it needed to be taken out.

 _“You missed the party-_ ” Anakin teased, laughing at the sigh his Master gave out. _“-but did you see those fireworks?”_

 _“I saw them alright.”_ He replied fondly _. “Congratulations, it looks like your mission was a success.”_

“Well, the plan had to be changed, but it worked out alright.”

 _“Yeah, Grievous is still alive unfortunately, and the battle was pretty rough on our men.”_ The younger Jedi added, sounding annoyed. Kanan knew how that felt. He still had men floating out there because they got stuck in the blast-

“Speaking of which, we need a few transport ships to pick up some of our men who got caught in the ion blast. Think you can do a quick round through and pick them up?”

 _“Yes, we’ll take it from here. You head towards the medical station in the meantime.”_ Obi-Wan added on, hurriedly changing the comms to a private channel with Anakin and Kanan. _“Afterwards I'll meet you two back on the cruiser._ ” He said quietly, his voice heavy and serious.

“We’ll be waiting.” Kanan replied, smirking as he listened to Obi-Wan’s final words.

 _“Ahead full! I don't want Grievous escaping-”_ it was then the transmission got cut off, and Kanan laughed, finally landing in the hangar of the Medical Station.

 

 

_____

 

 

“Good job, Jarrus. Your leadership skills are impressive.” Anakin stated, his voice light and teasing as he sauntered over to Kanan’s fighter.

“You didn't do so bad yourself, Skywalker.” He responded, turning to smile at the younger Jedi. They smirked at each other, a friendly tone in both their voices before Kanan continued speaking. “Besides, if I hadn't changed the plan-”

“Excuse me? I think was my idea to change the plan!”

“That's true…from a certain point of view.”

Anakin scoffed with laughter and disbelief in his voice. “You are so full of it, Jarrus.” He huffed.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and pushed between the both of them, causing them to turn and move with her. They still had to speak to the person in charge of the Medical Station, and Ahsoka had heard through the great grape vine that she was a weird one.

As the trio walked into the Station, they passed by a Clone, and Kanan slowed himself so he could talk to him without the others hearing.

“Make sure the ships are ready. We’ll only have a short time before Obi-Wan calls for support.” He had a feeling they wouldn't be getting the rest they wanted. It had almost been a full standard rotation, and none of them had gotten any sleep because of the battle, and they probably wouldn't for another whole day.

“Yes sir.”

“Master Jarrus-” the tall, white, long necked alien started to say in a soothing tone, but Kanan stepped back in surprise. This being in front of him, even in the Force, displayed little to no exuberance or personality. It was very hard to gauge their emotions, and none of the Kaminoans he felt had very strong of a Force signature, but he supposed that was just the way their race was. “-i'd like to thank you for your valiant effort today. Do not take the lives you saved lightly.”

“I don't, but I also can't take the lives I've lost lightly. I know we didn't lose much, but I hope they're in a better place.”

The alien in front of him, he could feel her eyes staring through him, and it left him very unsettled. “I see…” she hummed, her long neck bowing forward to take a closer look at him.

Kanan took a step back.

“You have no eyes, Master Jedi.” She stated in that same, cool voice. “Perhaps, we can…help you?”

The tilt in her voice made Kanan shiver and back away further, but before he left the room, he bowed at her with an uneasy smile, trying not to seem impolite. He was never good at masking his emotions, but he couldn't tell if she was offended by his rapid decline at her offer.

“If you’ll excuse me. We must prepare for the upcoming battle.” Kanan then turned to Anakin, his voice tense as he remembered his promise to the young Jedi. “Skywalker, if I can speak to you for a moment.”

“Ahsoka, I'll be right back.” He heard him whisper to his Padawan as he stepped away into the hallway. “You go check in with Obi-Wan, this won't take too long.”

“You know Master Obi-Wan needs to speak with you two.” She responded, blowing off his comment to insert her own. “Are you going to go on your own ship?”

“Yes! Now if you would please…” there was a noise, and a slight mechanical whirring that he could only assume was Anakin flailing his robotic arm before Ahsoka chuckled and shuffled her feet.

“Yes, Master.”

 

 

...oOo...

 

 

“Commander, what is the damage level to the enemy ship?” Obi-Wan said to the clone in front of him, stroking his beard as he read the charts.

“The Malevolence has lost her primary shields and stabilizers. We believe the hyperdrive is also disabled, but the ship is massive, sir…” Obi-Wan stopped looking over the report to stare patiently at the nervous Clone, and waited until he was brave enough to continue. “…it can take all the firepower our cannons can give and we still won't know all the damage we’ve done. I'm sorry.”

“It's quite alright, it's not your fault.” He assured, patting the Clones shoulder and smiling as he relaxed. “We must call all the reinforcements we can.” He continued, turning to look at Plo Koon, who had been the one helping him run his ship.

After Plo Koon nodded and left to rally the troops, a soft voice spoke behind him, making Obi-Wan turn in partial surprise.

“That's why we're here Master Kenobi.”

“Ahsoka! Are you well?” Obi-Wan couldn't fight the smile being slipped off his face when he noticed that neither Kanan nor Anakin were there with her.

“As well as I can be.”

“I wasn't able to contact Master Luminara, do you know if Anakin or Kanan are willing to try?” He tried not to seem too desperate as he went to ask- “Where are they, anyways?”

“Master Jarrus and Skyguy are having a ‘talk’ apparently.” Ahsoka rolled her eyes, making quotations over the word ‘talk’ before crossing her arms. “Do you know what that's about?”

“...no, I'm afraid not. I have a conversation of my own for them, and you, but I suppose that'll have to wait.”

“Well until then, I've been sent here until they come back.”

He crossed his arms, turning his body to face the giant windows that spanned across the bridge.

“Then for now we’ll have to make do with what we have.”

 

 

...oOo…

 

 

“So, we've been putting off this conversation for a while.” Kanan started, waiting until he had Anakin's undivided attention to cross his arms. Anakin could appreciate that he was trying, but it was clear that the man in front of him was nervous, and although he wanted answers, Anakin didn't want to scare Kanan off.

“I know.” He simply stated, waiting for the blind Jedi to continue.

“What did you want to talk to me about anyways?”

Anakin thought hard about what he wanted to say. He was young, and he had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, most of them invasive in some way. For the past few months, he has thought Kanan to be a ruse from the Separatist, some sort of spy to throw everyone off track from a bigger plan, but the longer he stayed, the more ridiculous that sounded. Kanan was a good man with many secrets, and all he wanted to do was unravel them.

His bond with Obi-Wan ultimately was the thing that made him see sense. Once he realized that Kanan was tied to his Master in some way, he made a promise to himself protect this man. Obi-Wan would and has done the same for him and Padmé, it was only fair for him to return the favor.

“What are you doing here?” He settled on. It was a fairly simple question, but the hesitation made his hackles rise.

“...that's a loaded question, and I'm not sure how to answer it.”

 _How in Maker’s Name is that a ‘loaded question’?_ He scowled to himself before taking a deep breath and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Just...try.” He hissed, snapping at him. He felt no satisfaction when Kanan was outwardly affected by his tone. “I'm tired of the useless anger I've been feeling towards you. I just want to understand.”

 _“...can y_ ou start with a simpler question-”

“How did you become blind.” Anakin cut him off, leaving both of them rather startled. That question had been plaguing him since he saw the jagged lightsaber scar crossing Kanan’s eyes, and it had just slipped out of his mouth without him meaning to.

He could see the conflict in Kanan’s face, and feel the rolling emotions through the Force. He was contemplating on whether or not he should tell the truth. If he didn't, the mystery that was Kanan Jarrus would stay, but if he did, Anakin would be making a breakthrough with his mortal enemy.

‘ _Mortal enemy_ ’ he thought, scoffing to himself … _if only Snips were here. That sounded like something she would tell me._

Suddenly, he was grabbed by the arm and dragged by Kanan. He decided not to resist, knowing that whatever it was that he was about to tell him would probably be either terrifying or terrible.

Those were the only two outcomes.

“What I am about to say does not leave this room, you understand?” Kanan growled out, making Anakin wince. He was grabbing his flesh, hard enough to leave bruises.

“Jarrus-”

“Do you-” Kanan hissed, gripping Anakin's arm even tighter. “- _understand_.”

After a moment of silence, Anakin nodded, glaring.

“…about six standard months ago, me and my son got a emergency signal from a distant planet. Me, him, and a friend of mine decided to check it out. We had just lost a few ships, we thought it might not hurt to look.”

He wasn't telling the whole truth, and Anakin wouldn't be surprised if he was twisting it just a little bit, but a half truth was better than a lie so he decided to stay quiet and listen.

“When we arrived, the planet was desolate. It was dark, and cold, and completely empty. There wasn't any signs of life except…” he watched as Kanan took a ragged breath, and let go of his arm to ‘look’ away. “...except for one.” He watched silently as he walked away and huffed.

“We tried to get closer towards the signal when the ground below us gave way. We ended up somewhere we _never_ wanted to be.”

“The signal was coming from below the surface, where we had just ended up, and all around us were bodies, frozen in some kind of black substance. It was dark, and cold, and everything about it just screamed wrong, but we kept going.”

“When we finally met up with the man who had sent the signal, I cursed to myself. We should have left. I should have known!” The younger Jedi flinched as Kanan slammed his hands on a nearby crate, causing the lights to flicker and the metal below to rumble and groan

“...it was a Sith-” Anakin breathed in sharply in surprise.

 _A Sith?!_ He cursed, danger lights flashing in his mind when the metal around them started to shake.

“-one that I thought had been killed long before my Padawan days. He was just there, waiting for us, like he knew it was going to be _me_.” The snarl that left the blind man was nearly inhuman, and Anakin watched in fascination as he made noises that sounded like a cross between a Loth-cat and a Wookiee. It had distinct trilling, so Anakin could only assume it was a language unknown to him.

“He was waiting for us in this...this…”

“...we talked to him.” _Stars, this man is crazy!_ “At first, the conversation was somewhat friendly, but it turned bad really quick. My son, he tried to reason with him, tried to tell him we were on the same side, that he didn't have to do this…needless to say it didn't work.”

“He…at first, he tried to kidnap my _son_.” There were a few more bangs in the background, but that was all white noise compared to what Kanan was telling him. “When Ezra didn't go with him, he then tried to kill me…needless to say, that also didn't work.”

“We barely got away with our lives…I lost my eyes, trying to fight Ma…” he stopped himself, and Anakin wanted to shake him, demand him to keep going. “…trying to fight him, and my son blamed himself ever since.”

The silence in the room now was deafening.

It was worse than Anakin was expecting…

What Kanan had just told him…was both terrible, and terrifying.

“...what kind of poodoo were you a part of for you to _get into these situations?_ ” Anakin growled, grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him to face him. He tried to wait patiently, but then, patience was never his strong suit.

He was about to demand him to keep going, yell for him to talk because it wasn't enough. Anakin needed more, but he forced himself to stop and let him go.

“I…I can't Anakin-” the broken words came out as a plea, and Anakin knew he had gone and opened a wound that had probably never been closed in the first place. It made him feel bad for wanting to know, and now, he was even more conflicted. He wasn't sure anymore if he wanted to know the rest, despite Anakin wanting him to keep going.

It was like one of those scary stories his mom used to tell him. He was afraid of what he might hear, but he still needed to _know._

 _“General Jarrus, come in.”_ The staticky voice of a clone drawled over the comms that Kanan had, cutting him off mid sentence.

“Here.” He responded, his voice sounding calm, if not a little wet. The younger Jedi could applaud his acting.

_“General Kenobi wants to speak with you.”_

“Alright, I'm on my way.”

_“Hey, Skyguy-”_

“I know Snips, I just got word.” He cut her off, replying before she even got to finish her sentence. He knew what she was about to say, anyways. “We’ll be right there.”

This conversation was the first of many more mysteries surrounding Kanan and Anakin wasn't quite sure if he liked that he was the one that started to unravel them.

 

 

_____

 

 

Walking into bridge of Obi-Wan's cruiser was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it meant that his conversation with Anakin had come to an end, but on the other hand, it meant that the conflict of the battle was at its peak.

“I trust the decoy worked?” The older Jedi asked, and Kanan wracked his brain, trying to remember the plan he had made with Obi-Wan before the plan that he had made with the Clones that he had to change into a different plan.

It was all very confusing.

_I need either some caf, or 18 about hours of undisturbed sleep…or both._

“Yup.” He cheered, finally remembering. “Grievous aimed towards those Medical ships we sent out there like a man _possessed_.” He laughed, thinking back to the beginning of the dogfight. “It was a risky shot, but it gave us quite a while to set up and take out the cannon while we waited for it to recharge.”

“Wait...so you're saying that the ships that Grievous destroyed-” Kanan could feel the shock and respect rolling off of Ahsoka's Force signature.

“Completely empty.” He agreed, smiling when both she and her Master laughed in surprise. “We had pre-set the coordinates and had one Med Droid at the helm of each ship.”

“When Grievous targeted them, as we had hoped, it would have gave you more time to complete the mission while the weapon recharged.” Obi-Wan finished, knocking his shoulder into Kanan’s as he brushed past him and led them to the giant windows in the front of the bridge.

“Mine and his plan worked like a charm, but _ours_ went a little off course.” Kanan said, waving his hand between him and the younger Jedi as they followed Kenobi closer to the windows. “If Obi-Wan hadn't come when he did, Grievous might be gone.”

“Well, he and his ship are both still here so, what do we do?” Anakin asked, crossing his arms and raising a single brow in question.

“...Admiral-” Obi-Wan’s voice echoed in the smaller space. “-status report.”

“They're still attempting to jump to hyperspace even though their hyperdrive is down.”

“This is our chance-” Ahsoka’s excitement nearly bounced off the walls, and Obi-Wan jumped at the chance to try and defeat the infamous Droid General.

“All ships, target the bridge! Maximum firepower.”

They all listened in silence, but heard nothing in the vast vacuum of space. Each blast sent a small hum through the ship, filling Kanan with unseen energy, but each fire and each ray of blue that met The Malevolence rang in his ears. He only knew that the massive vessel was being hit because he could feel the impact through the Force.

It frightened him and excited him all at once.

“Masters, I'm picking up a signal near the enemy warship. Something just came out of hyperspace.” A nearby clone said hurriedly, tapping his fingers over the console in front of him. Kanan nodded and hummed, feeling another strong figure in the Force draw near the enemy warship.

“Reinforcements?” Ahsoka asked, walking up the the clone to look over his shoulder, but frowned when she saw what was on the console.

“No, it looks like a Naboo ship.”

“A Naboo…” Anakin turned towards Obi-Wan, disbelief written over his face. “Padme.”

Eyes widening in realization, Kanan yelled at the crew. “Gunners, stand down!”

Padmé Amidala, Queen and Senator of Naboo, was one of the most feared Senators in the Galaxy, known to always be in the middle of all the trouble. She was one of the few senators who wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty in the sake of what was right, and frequently fought and made trades and treaties to help end the war. He had learned a lot about her as a youngling, and in his tween years, actually had a slight crush on the beautiful woman.

Kanan scratched the back of his head, embarrassed by the memory.

“What in blazes are they doing out here?” He heard Anakin whisper-yell at his old Master, and Kanan's ears perked in interest. Focusing on the Force signature in front of him, he bowed his head and searched within Anakin. By the tone of his voice, he knew Senator Amidala well, and Kanan was curious to show why.

“Ahsoka, contact that ship.” Obi-Wan said calmly, looking to his former Padawan in what Kanan could only assume was worry.

“Naboo cruiser, identify yourself.” Her voice was calm as she nudged the Clone and signaled him out of his seat. He went without complaint.

_“This is Senator Amidala-”_

“I knew it!” Anakin hissed to himself frantically before Kanan heard him shuffle over to where his Padawan was currently seated, and pushed the button that let him communicate with the ship. “Padmé, what are you doing out here?”

 _“...Anakin?”_ Her voice was strong, and didn't waver as she spoke, but the blind Jedi could still feel a tremor through the Force.

He kept searching within the younger Jedi.

_“I was sent on a mission. The Senate was told the Banking Clan wanted to negotiate a treaty-”_

“Get out of there as fast as you can.”

Kanan gasped, rearing his head back in shock as it all finally _clicked_.

The bond that he felt between Senator Amidala and Skywalker was strong, and if Kanan believed in soulmates, he would think that this was what they would look like. Their Force signatures were intertwined, and it was so bright and so beautiful, but since Anakin was already so strong in the Force his signature was extremely bright. What they shared, it would hardly be noticeable to nearly anyone else.

What he and Amidala had…they weren't just friends, they were partners… _life_ partners. Husband and wife ‘till death do they part.

 _“I-I can't. I'm being pulled inside the Droid Warship by a tractor beam.”_ Her voice broke, and Kanan panicked, finally stepping forward. _“I will not be made a Separatist bargaining chip. Continue your attack. You must destroy this monstrous ship at all costs.”_

This was a trap, it had to be, but Kanan couldn't sit back and let her die. She was too important to the (hopefully eventual) success of this war, and if he was honest with himself, she reminded him of Hera.

“...Senator, I agree-” his voice took over before his mind even adapted to the change of pace in the conversation.

“Jarrus!” Anakin and Obi-Wan simultaneously exclaimed, their voices and presences in the Force rippling in shock.

“- _but_ if we destroy the ship with you on board…we need the Senate and the Republic on our side to win this war. If you're on that ship when it goes down…” Kanan trailed off, not knowing how to admit to himself or the others that she needed to be here. Her dying could cause mass panic and chaos, and it was one butterfly he was not willing to step on.

So many things have already changed in this past, but she had to be a constant.

She had to survive the Clone Wars.

“...Admiral, order the ships to stop firing.” Anakin's voice boomed off the walls of the Bridge, his voice hard and sure.

His ears caught the static coming from the speakers before anyone else, and he rushed to the console to turn up the volume. Senator Amidala’s voice was static at best and getting worse by the second.

At first, it came in waves, but as the short minutes rolled by, her words became less and less clear, even to him.

 _“Anakin-”_ he heard her try one more time before there was complete silence in the other end.

“Padmé? Padmé!” Anakin’s voice was rough at best, worry and anger seeping through the withered cracks in his focus. “What happened?!” He yelled at his Padawan, but she sat firm in her seat.

“Once she entered the ship, all communications were lost. I'm sorry Master…they're jamming our signals.”

Kanan turned his head towards the conversation, and waited for Anakin to stomp off to a different part of the Bridge. Obi-Wan moved forward, but Kanan stepped in front of him and stuck out his hand, laying it on his shoulder. When the older Jedi turned to him, Kanan could feel his confusion but shook his head.

 _I got this…_ he thought firmly, not wanting to cause a bigger scene, and followed Anakin.

He didn't notice Obi-Wan rearing his head back in shock.

It took a few minutes to locate him with the Force and excitement pulsing through his veins. He was on some sort of high because of _whatever_ reason, but once he finally located Anakin, he made a choice.

Anakin would go save the Senator with or without Obi-Wan’s or the Council’s consent, Kanan just needed to be with him when he left.

“...Anakin listen-” he said calmly as he walked up to where the younger Jedi was pacing. “-we've managed to destroy the hyperdrive, the Ion Cannon, and their forward thrusters. The Malevolence is in enemy space with no weapons, and nowhere to go but we don't have a lot of time.” He presses, trying to nudge him towards the doors so they could get to the hangar.

“Time for what?” Anakin snapped back defensively, straightening his back. Kanan could feel the heat of his glare on the side of his face.

“If we're going to save the Senator, we need to act now.” Anakin hesitated, not knowing whether or not to trust him, and Kanan crossed his arms in retaliation. He was going with him, even if Anakin said no.

 _‘We?’_ Anakin mouthed, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

Kanan huffed.

“I know how you feel for her.”

Anakin's shock sent a wave of distrust and anger and _danger **danger** danger_, but he stood his ground and tried to explain his reasoning as best as he could without outright lying to the man.

“I can feel the bond you share, and I know the position this situation put you in.” Anakin tipped his head, remembering their previous talk, and resigned himself to hearing him out. Kanan relaxed once he realized the hostility dimmed exponentially. “If you put your duty before your heart, she dies and it's on you…but if you put your heart before your duty, you're not a Jedi.”

“Right now, it's your duty to save the Senator, and you know in your heart that you can't let her die.”

There was a tense silence that hushed over the conversation.

“I don't like you, nor do I trust you Kanan Jarrus…” Anakin started to say, and Kanan frowned and waited for him to continue. “...but…I think for now, I'm willing to try.”

The younger Jedi walked up and nudged him, motioning for him to follow, and Kanan did, confused. He had never done anything to the younger Jedi, and he had hoped that by now, the distrust would've settled, but he supposed that was too much to ask for. Anakin was a particularly emotional Jedi, and it was never a secret that he was anything less, but he was also one of the best Jedi’s there were when he was growing up, so when he motioned to follow Kanan did without complaining.

Well, at least not out loud.

 

 

_____

 

 

When Kanan had turned to him and placed his hand on his shoulder, Obi-Wan had thought nothing of it. Sure, he wanted to comfort his ex-Padawan, but Anakin was a grown man, and Obi-Wan didn't know enough about what he was feeling to comfort him properly.

The only problem was, when Kanan had turned his head to ‘look’ at him, he knew that he was going to go to him. It wasn't a feeling, or intuition. He had literally heard him, clear as day, even though he had never spoken a word.

_‘I got this…’_

He had never felt anything like that before. For someone to so easily enter his mind, and have them feel as if they _belonged_.

Shifting his eyes back to where the two mischievous Jedi were, he looked on with just a hint of suspicion. Anakin had never been fond of the blind man, and he definitely wasn't now, but the fact that Anakin was letting him near was another surprise. Their faces showed very little hostility from what he could see, and their voices were low enough that he couldn't hear them even though the weren't too far-

Obi-Wan sighed, resigned.

Anakin was going for the Senator, and he could feel that Kanan wanted to rescue her as well.

 _They're probably hatching some ‘magnificent’ plan to save the Senator right about now. Force, you leave them alone for two seconds and they practically stage a mutiny…_ He sighed out, rolling his eyes and rubbing his temples in mild frustration. He tapped his foot, mumbling a quick excuse to Admiral Yularen, and waited for them to exit the Bridge before following them out.

Being sure to mask his footsteps, Obi-Wan quietly shuffled down the hall, feeling like an absolute fool as he went ducking into rooms or different hallways so he wouldn't be caught. Nobody questioned him of course, but sneaking by Anakin was nearly impossible, and it made him all the more worried that he wasn't even caught.

Having no way to lessen the echo in the hangar where Anakin’s ship was, he straightened his back and entered as he normally would, raising a brow when the two Jedi didn't even notice him then either.

Well, he wasn't quite sure if Kanan noticed him or not, but if he did, he gave no inclination that he heard him at all.

“Just where do you two think you're going?” His voice boomed in the small space, and he shook his head at himself when he realized he sounded like an exasperated parent trying to reign in his adolescent teenager.

 _‘Busted…’_ Kanan’s voice rang in his head, and Obi-Wan tried to reign in his surprise for the second time that day. He watched in silence as they both stiffened before Kanan suddenly turned around and draped his arm across Anakin’s shoulders. turning around and plastering in a smile and chipper attitude.

“Someone has to save the Senator, right Anakin.” He had plastered on the bright smile and chipper attitude, it was very obvious, and so he just stared at them in disbelief. He knew this was the plan _per se_ , but Anakin always tried to work around the subject to get what he wanted.

Kanan was blunt, where Obi-Wan was not, leaving him slightly clueless as to how to handle the blind man.

“Don't worry Obi-Wan, we’ll be fine.” Anakin’s voice was brittle and angry, and the older Jedi watched as Kanan deflated for a millisecond before turning back around and getting into the co-pilot’s seat.

It left him uncomfortable, watching the indescribable emotions filter their way through his friends face, but instead of commenting on it like he wanted to, he threw in a quick quip and settled into a nearby seat.

“Somehow, you saying that worries me more.”

 

 

_____

 

 

“I trust you've already formulated a brilliant plan to rescue the Senator?” Obi-Wan asked as they took off, breathing in at the sight of the Malevolence. As much as he didn't want Anakin to go and risk his life, Padmé Amidala was also his friend, and he worried about her safety almost as much as he worried for his ex-Padawan’s. They were both so fearless, and it often got them both into mountains of trouble.

“As a matter of fact, yes.” Anakin chimed in, his tone bright and full of fake cheer.

Obi-Wan stared at them with a dry look.

They didn't fool him for a second.

“We even have a Plan B-” Kanan tried cutting in, his voice also bright, but going by the panicked look on Anakin’s face, they most definitely didn't not, in fact, have a ‘Plan B’.

“Do you even have a ‘Plan A’?” He heard Kanan whisper to the younger Jedi, making his eyebrows go up in amusement.

“I have… _part_ of a plan!”

“Oh, please! Part of a plan is basically just a concept-”

“Let's just focus on the first plan for now, _thank you_ Kanan.” Anakin said, just a tad too loud, his face giving away that they didn't even discuss the first plan.

“Alright then, let's hear it.” He egged them on, watching them exchange a panicked glance. Obi-Wan tried to cover his laugh as a cough, praying to whoever was listening that it worked.

“...their sensors are damaged, we know that. All we need to do to board the ship is to sneak in behind them and dock at one of the emergency airlocks.”

“... _That's_ your plan?” Obi-Wan asked, staring at Anakin, his voice slightly hysterical. “Just fly in, hope they don't spot us, and walk in through the _back door?_ ”

He waited, and a distressed, hoarse chuckle escaped his mouth when the younger Jedi just shrugged his shoulders and said “Basically?”

“Also-” Kanan cut in before Obi-Wan could start arguing, “-since there's nothing on that ship except the Senator, Grievous and a bunch of useless droids, it's likely that with all the chaos and destruction a lot of the droids have already been destroyed so there probably won't be many in the halls of the ship.”

“Brilliant.” He drawled, squirming and finally getting comfortable in his chosen seat.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

“It does not look safe, my lady.” The nervous, golden protocol droid said in his mechanical drawl, raising his finger and shuffling over to the Senator.

“I know, Threepio. This whole thing was a trap from the start, I just don't understand how.” Padmé agreed, looking out her viewport and seeing nothing but fire and destruction all around her. There was no doubt in her mind that this was a Separatist trap set for her, but Palpatine was the only one to get info from the banking clan and the only way it could've been exposed to the separatists was from a hack, or the clan. She refused to believe that Palpatine, the kind and wise Senator, was capable of such a thing. There was no way he would send her out here if he knew.

The panels beeping and pulsing in front of her broke her of her traitorous brain. Looking around frantically, she started forming a plan and pushed buttons rapidly on the ship, setting it to self destruct five minutes after the bay doors opened. This was Grievous’ ship. She knew he would be the one to fetch her, like the good dog that he was.

“Come on. I've managed to overload the power system to self destruct.” She yelled, sprinting out the room to go to the belly of the ship. She waited patiently for her Droid to follow before crawling underneath the landing tires and dropping down the the flaming floor of the Malevolence.

“We're doomed!” She faintly heard Threepio scream, and she rolled her eyes fondly as he followed after her.

She managed to maneuver them to some crates in the flaming hangar of the warship, and she waited, ducking behind them once she saw General Grievous approach her small Naboo Yacht.

“I'm not sure this is a good idea, Senator-”

“It's the only idea I have Threepio.”

Looking from behind the crate, she saw the Droid General walk on to inspect the ship himself, and waited in anticipation for it to explode. When the moment came, only a few minutes later, Padmé feels a split second of relief before it's washed over in dissatisfaction. It seemed that Grievous had managed to get off in the last second, leaving the three droids he walked in with to perish.

Cursing to herself in her head, she grabs Threepio and drags him behind the nearest corner before taking off in a run. She can't afford being captured. She knows it what he wants, but she's not falling into a Separatist plot.

She’s no damsel in distress.

Turning through the vast maze of corridors, she manages to find her way to a control panel and immediately stalks up to it, her golden droid following behind her.

“Might I suggest we keep moving, my lady?” Threepio stated in a rather diplomatic tone, raising his hand up as if he were apologizing for interrupting her, even though she never said anything. “I think I hear battle droids approaching.”

“No, we need to contact the fleet. If I can reroute the power to this control panel, I might be able to send out a message to them…” she argued back, plugging in some of the loose wires and typing an assortment of different buttons to rewrite the transmission signal from inside the warship, to Anakin. He would probably be on the same frequency as the rest of the fleet, she just had to find it. “...now if only I can get this thing to work…” she mumbled to herself, hoping her Droid wouldn't be able to hear her.

The metal clanking got closer and closer, and Padmé was getting the slightest bit desperate. It had been minutes, and she still hadn't got the panel to work.

“My lady, I'm afraid I was right.” Threepio said quietly, and Padmé had half the mind to sever his vocal wires, but instead she grabbed his arm and shoved him into a broken wall. Grabbing a piece of scrap, she placed it in front of them to act as a door, shielding them from the view of the small army of droids that were passing by them.

She held her breath, watching through an open crack as the hard clanks for louder and louder.

 _Stupid!_ Padmé thought to herself, an angry frown making its way onto her face. _An alarm probably went off when I tried to make contact with Anakin._

 _“General…”_ she listened as a the small army stopped.

_“What!”_

_“I've just received an incoming message from Count Dooku. He says that he’s bringing in reinforcements to deal with the Jedi.”_

_“I don't need reinforcements!”_ General Grievous snarled, bringing his hand to his belt and igniting one of the many lightsabers he had. Padmé watched in horror as he destroyed the Droid and turned to the nearest one behind him. _“Augh! What is the status on the hyperdrive?!”_

_“The damage to the hyperdrive was not as bad as we anticipated. We should be able to get moving again shortly.”_

_“I must inform Count Dooku. Stay here and continue the search. If you find the stowaways…”_ Grievous turns, looking through the panel and Padmé had to hold her breath in fear of being caught by the Droid general. _“...bring them to me.”_

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

“Were dead if they spot us-”

“They're repairing the ship, they won't even notice-” Anakin brushed off Obi-Wan’s comment with a smile, and turned to avoid debris falling off the burning edges of the warship.

“They can and they might-”

“They don't have time to notice us-”

“Girls, you're both pretty! Now if you can please dock the ship. If you two keep arguing they're definitely going to hear us coming.” Kanan hissed, punching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He has expected to be going into enemy waters with two hardened, seasoned Generals. They were some of the finest Jedi, and ones he looked up to most as a kid, and now he had a chance to go into battle side by side with them and they subjugated themselves to act like children.

“Everything I know I've learned from my Master.” Anakin replied haughtily, turning his nose up and piloted the ship with the utmost precision.

Kanan scoffed.

“...I'm glad that's not remotely true.” He heard Obi-Wan mutter to himself.

Getting up from his seat, he moved to check some of the panels on the side and nudged his head to Obi-Wan, hoping he would take the hint and get in the co-pilot’s chair. If he was lucky, him being able to control some part of the situation would calm him down enough to stop arguing.

Then, suddenly, the ship jerked. Kanan, standing up and unbuckled, was thrown against the side of the ship, flying head first into the metal walls. Anakin then, without warning anybody, starts flying erratically to avoid debris falling from the shell of The Malevolence.

Since they had to get in close to dock at an emergency airlock, he had to avoid a lot of scrap, but the least he could've done was warn him!

“Spinning isn't flying you know!” Kanan yelled, gripping onto the back of Obi-Wan’s seat, hoping he wouldn't fly off and get a concussion.

“Hey, it's not my fault you're not wearing a seatbelt!” Anakin laughed, yanking his hands to the right to continue spinning and doing his crazy tricks.

This went on for another minute, but to Kanan, it felt eons longer. Some of the loose objects from inside Anakin's ship had started tumbling around, occasionally hitting him in the head and… _other_ appendages, so when he finally docked, Kanan slumped down, sprawled out on the side of the ship since they had to dock from a weird angle on the Malevolence.

He laid there, breathing harshly as the two famous Jedi before him calmly took off their seat belts and maneuvered themselves to the docking platform.

“...I hate you.” Kanan mumbled, puffing from exertion while Obi-Wan offered him his hand and helped him up.

 

 

_____

 

 

“Remember, try not to be spotted.” Obi-Wan said before the airlock opened, and was immediately spotted by two droids on patrol. Cursing to himself, he stepped away, leaning his body to subconsciously protect Kanan and Anakin.

“Oh no.” They said, voices monotone as they screamed and held up their charged blasters.

“You just had to say something.” Kanan says to Obi-Wan as he pushes his way between the two shocked Jedi, stalking forward as he ignites his lightsaber. In a flash of light, the two battle droids in front of them quickly became semi-molten scrap metal.

“You know what? Why don't you stay behind Obi-Wan, make sure the ship doesn't get taken.” Anakin suggested, a playful smile on his lips.

Obi-Wan frowned. _Karma and Sarcasm are working hand in hand today, it seems…_

“Oh, don't think so. I'm coming with you two.” He parried back, crossing his arms.

Looking around, he locked eyes with Anakin. Looking at him, he searched his eyes and nodded, stepping back and nudging Kanan’s arm once the younger Jedi started to move.

Anakin started off with a run, Obi-Wan and Kanan followed as he led them down the hallways, letting him lead the way. His bond with the Senator would for once be useful. He would be able to feel her presence anywhere on the ship, and they needed to find her fast before the whole thing literally blew up in their faces.

 _“Master, we've found Senator Amidala.”_ Ahsoka’s voice was soft, staticky, like there was some interference with the signal. He supposed, there had to be. The ship was nearly falling apart at the seams, and it was hard enough to talk to Padmé through the ship.

Obi-Wan assumed it would be even harder to get a clear transmission through a small communications device.

“Patch her through…” he felt Anakin's bond flare up with _happiness/fear/protect_ before he reigned in his emotions and spoke to the small device in his robotic arm. “Padmé?”

 _“Anakin.”_ Her voice sounded breathy, but most importantly, relieved.

“Are you alright? Where are you?”

 _“I'm on the lower levels. I'm fine, but I don't know for how long.”_ Her voice trailed off, suddenly wary and uncertain. _“I managed to overhear a Droid inform General Grievous that Dooku sent in reinforcements and that the hyperdrive was almost fully functional.”_

“Obi-Wan, Jarrus and I are onboard. We came to get you off the ship.”

_“I hardly think my rescue warrants three Jedi to come after me.”_

“Well, it was a last minute decision.” Anakin snapped, wincing and quickly switching the outgoing signal so he could talk to his Padawan. “Ahsoka, how can we get to the Senator?”

_“My scanner is reading a large open area in the center of the ship. It should be halfway between the two of you.”_

“You hear that Padmé?”

 _“Roger Roger.”_ She huffed out before the feed cut out, and Obi-Wan cracked a small smile at the joke. It widened once he looked around and saw that Kanan and Anakin had done the same.

 

 

_____

 

 

 _“Master, there's a ship coming out of hyperspace!”_ Ahsoka's panicked voice shocked Kanan out of his one-track mind. He was so focused on everything going on around him and using the Force to make sure he didn't slip or run into anything, that the Togruta’s voice almost made him trip.

“One of ours?” He heard Obi-Wan question, huffing in exertion when they all slowed down to hear her report better.

Focusing on the field around them, Kanan reached out, trying to get a sense of the being in the unknown vessel, but when he tried to reach their mind, his probing bounced off. Maybe he was too far, but if Kanan had to guess who was on that ship, it was nobody good.

“Doubt it. Padmé said she overheard a Droid tell Grievous about reinforcements. It might be them.” His voice sounded hollow coming out of his mouth since his mind was elsewhere, but neither of the two noticed so he counted it as a win.

“What kind of ship is it?”

 _“I don't know, Skyguy…”_ the small tilt in her voice made her sound confused, which couldn't be right. The Ahsoka he knew could identify any ship in the galaxy. If this one had her stumped, it wasn't good news. _“…I've never seen one like this before…”_

“What is it shaped like?”

_“It's…it has two flat hexagonal wings with some sort of orb in the middle as the cockpit, black and grey coloring, and the windows of the cockpit are also very circular…”_

Kanan gasps, staggering back before freezing in his tracks.

  
…

 

_**“Interesting…it seems you've trained with Jedi Master Depa Billaba…”** _

_He remembered a flash of blue clashing with red, and bright yellow sparks flying off with each hit. The Inquisitor wanted Ezra, wanted him to join the Dark side and become some kind of senseless killing machine. He couldn't have that, wouldn't stand for it._

_**“Her record showed that she recommended Form III…”** _

_Twisting his body back, he used the Force to twist himself to evade the red saber before bringing his hands forward and holding his own blade in a double-handed death grip._

_Stepping back, he bright his body up to full height, imitating his Master._

_**“...which you favor to a ridiculous degree…”** _

_Running forward, he brought his lightsaber up to swing, only to be immediately blocked by the frightening red blade. They merged, grinding against each other while he and the Inquisitor fought to gain the upper hand._

_He snarled, red blade swinging forward, but Kanan force jumped back, running forward and shooting from Ezra's little electrical pulse gun/lightsaber before igniting it once more and swung._

_Ezra was barely his Padawan, but Kanan had already formed such a fierce bond with the boy. He wouldn't let him fall. He wouldn't let him become another nameless face that clouded over his past like the hundreds of Jedi and Padawan before him._

_He wouldn't fail him, like he failed the others._

 

…

 

 _“Master… it's docking The Malevolence.”_ Her voice cut through the fog, and Kanan brought his hand up to his shaking head, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

“Thank you Ahsoka-”

“We should split up. We’ll cover more ground this way.” Kanan spat out, patting his hands across his body until he found his lightsaber hilt. He grabbed it like a lifeline, gripping onto it with all the force he could manage as his breath continued to stutter and his knuckles turned white.

“Cover more-” Obi-Wan’s voice was incredulous, and Kanan could feel the heat of his stare, only remembering a flash of red and _Billaba dying, Hera dying, Ezra dying, they're all dead, why are they dead-_ “Kanan, what on _earth_ are you talking about?”

“I'll check these levels to make sure you're not being followed. You should continue on to the middle of the ship.” His words were nearly unnoticeable in his rambling, and it seemed to get the message across well enough, but they were still looking-

_Why are they looking?_

_Why won't they stop!_

_Go away._

_Go away._

_**Get away!** _

“Jarrus-”

“We don't have time to argue!” He yelled, jerking away from Obi-Wan’s reaching hand. “I'll meet up with you by the ship.”

He runs off, not noticing how Obi-Wan's protest died on his lips. He still had his hand stretched out as if he was going to grab him, but instead of following the blinded Jedi, he held back and trailed after his former Padawan instead.

“I can sense the Senator, Master. She's close.” He faintly heard Anakin growl out, but this time he refused to follow the Jedi.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

“This is where I'm supposed to meet them.” Padmé mumbled, staring across the vast tracks and fast moving trains that spanned across the length of the Malevolence. “He’s probably late, again.” She sighed out, placing her hands on her hips as she waited.

“We do have another sort of company, I'm afraid.” Threepio said calmly as he turned to her, making Padmé tune around and watch with narrowed eyes as three droids rounded the corner with blasters in their hands.

“Blast them!” They said, and Padmé managed to take out her own gun in time to hit one in the chest, and grab Threepio, dragging him towards the tracks.

“Look, Jedi!” Padmé looked up at the yell, only to see Obi-Wan and Anakin force-jump off the top of the trains and head in her direction.

She paused at the sight, remembering them saying something about a person named Jarrus, and wondered where they were.

“Fire-” the battle Droid with colored paint yelled, pointing at them, only to be interrupted by another.

“No, wait!” The droid that shot got blasted when Anakin reflected their shot Back at them, and Padmé smiled. It was one less droid she had to deal with. “I knew that was going to happen.”

Running down the thin platform, she grabbed Threepio, taking a few steps and turning to fire a few mother droid down. She looked around, trying to find an escape, and licked her eyes on an approaching train. It was moving fast, and not slowing down, but it was their only option.

“Jump!”

“Me, my lady?” Threepio asked, turning his head so he could glance at the train. She rolled her eyes, shooting her gun as she pushed him and jumped after him, making sure he wouldn't slide off. Padmé, landing on her stomach, breathes out in pain, but stays down so she can duck safely under the overpass ahead.

She hears Anakin yell her name, and turns in time to watch him jump onto another car on the same train as her

“Anakin!” She smiles, still on her stomach, but gets up and walks to him as he approaches.

“There they are!” She hears more droids yell in the distance, but ignores them in favor of embracing her husband. “Fire!”

It seemed like that was the wrong choice. Super Battle Droids had marched into the fray, and with their arm cannons, destroyed the track in front of them, leaving a giant falling hole in it. Padmé’s heard tightened in fear. If they didn't get off the train now, they would be dead.

“Padmé, grab my hand.” Anakin’s voice was clear through the rushing wind, and she turned to him in confusion. “You have to trust me.” He said, and Padmé could've hit her head in frustration. Anakin was a Jedi, and she had forgotten that tidbit in her moment of fright, so she looked to him and nodded, gripping onto him tight as he Force-jumped off the train, leaving Obi-Wan and Threepio behind.

“You just wanted to get me alone, didn't you?” Padmé asked after she found her footing. Anakin had taken her and landed on another train, this one not moving.

“Guilty as charged.” He responded with a laugh as he led her away from the chaos and Droids, the train finally moving in the opposite direction and taking them in the direction of where he had ‘parked’ his ship.

 

 

_____

 

 

 _That jump was impressive._ Obi-Wan thought to himself, watching as his ex-Padawan grabbed Padmé and jumped onto another train, and led her back in the direction that led to the ship. _Now if only he used that concentration everyday, he wouldn't get into all that trouble._

Reaching his hand out with the Force, he closed his eyes and gripped the golden protocol droid and made sure he landed safely in one of the passing corridors before standing tall on the train he was on.

“Blast…” he whispered, looking around, his eyes searching for Jarrus. He had run off a while ago, and he needed to find him quickly before the Malevolence got the hyperdrive back online. “Anakin, I'll have to meet you back at the _Twilight_.” He continued, turning his head around as an idea formed in his mind.

Force jumping off the train, he managed to sneak his way through the hallways without being caught, and made his way to the hyperdrive to ensure it was destroyed, even if he had to do it with his own hands.

_Cutting off the hyperdrive is the only way we can get out of here…_

Finding his way to the engines, Obi-Wan looked at the giant metal doors and found the access panel to the far right. Smirking, he ignited his saber, cutting through it easily.

Walking through, he smiled at the two ground standing guard, and tried to sneak up on them before the two giant bay doors on the side slid open.

Super Battle Droids and Destroyer’s were approaching and circled around him, surrounding him completely.

Bringing his hands behind his back, he straightened his shoulders and stranded to his full height. He knew he couldn't intimidate them, they were just machines, but he could prepare himself for a fight.

“Bahahahaha!” The maniacal laugh freezes him in his place for the briefest second before he consciously makes the decision to sag his shoulders and turn around.

Grievous, who had previously been standing on some sort of higher platform, jumped from his hiding space and landed, just a few feet in front of the surrounded Jedi.

“Kenobi…” General Grievous hissed, clomping up to the Jedi as he placed his hands behind his back.

“Hello.” He greeted, plastering a calm smile on his face as if he weren't surrounded by a small army of Droids.

“...did you really think I would leave they hyperdrive unguarded?” He snarled, raising his hand to reveal an automatic blaster. Obi-Wan, not one to negotiate with the likes of him, brought his hand up to strike his beard and shrugged nonchalantly.

“Anything is possible.” He provoked. “You haven't exactly impressed me yet. Why should this be any different?”

“Kill him.” Grievous responded, letting out a sinister roar while Obi-Wan crouched and got ready to jump.

When the machines turned to him, he glared and leaped, soaring through the air while the spot he had just been inhabiting got blown to bits. Igniting his lightsaber once more, he swung out, expertly dodging blasted fire and reflecting back to the droids until the only one he had to destroy were, well, the Destroyers.

Using the Force, he flipped back to the middle of the fray, pushing one of the three rollers as hard as he could in the direction that it came and causing it to crash into the door that it came from.

“This all escalated quicker than I anticipated.” Obi-Wan grumbled to himself, backflipping over another roller and doing the same to it, effectively knocking down the other small army of Droids that had just entered the fray.

Bringing his hand to his brow, Obi-Wan turned to look the Droid General in the eyes before saluting him and running off.

 _“...that was impressive.”_ He heard a droid drawl out before there was a crash and an earsplitting roar. Obi-Wan ran faster as it echoed in the hallway surrounding him.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

Kanan ran, his heavy breathing and the pounding of his heart getting louder and louder as he twisted and turned down the hallways of the ship. He knew what came as reinforcements, and he needed to lead them away from the group. They were here for him, and he couldn't let them get to Obi-Wan or the others.

He went deeper into the ship, and ended up near an emergency hatch similar to the one that Anakin had docked to get on the Malevolence. It was a dead end, but here, he could sense that his opponent was waiting for him.

 **“Kanan Jarrus…”** The slimy, deep, almost mechanical voice made Kanan slide to a stop in the corridor. He had never heard it before, and it was nothing like he was expecting, but the ugly mass of darkness protruding from the person's Force signature alone had him staggering back. Whoever they were, whatever they were, he was as certain as the chill in his bones that this person was the Inquisitor. **“...my master speaks highly of you…”**

“Well, it's nice to know I've been noticed.” He parried back, setting his feet far enough so he could either duck or jump if he needed to. The hallway was long, and a lot of things were on fire, but with his lightsaber off in his hand, he felt somewhat safe, but not completely. He thought he had left the Inquisitors to rot back at the Sith Temple in the future, there was no saying why there was one here now.

The Inquisitors of his time were sloppy, angry, and young, but he just knew that this one, they had experience beyond his years. Aside from their Force signature, Kanan couldn't feel anything from them. There was no burning desire to kill, there was no hate, no revenge...they were just dark and... _cold_. There was a void in the Force where their soul should be, and Kanan didn't know whether or not to be terrified.

 **“My Master believes you to be a threat.”** His voice echoed off the walls, and Kanan shivered in a mixture of fear and excitement as the Inquisitor flicked out his hand and ignited his red lightsaber.

He needed a good fight, it had been too long.

“...that's because I _am_.” He snarled, igniting his saber and running forward, bringing it down hard in a beautiful arc. The two sabers met, and Kanan used the force from the clash to backflip backwards and turn. Kanan needed to lead the Inquisitor back to the middle of the ship where all the trains were. He needed the space to roam and use his powers, and there would be a good place for him to finally let go.

So, he let the Inquisitor chase him down the halls. Every now and then, he would turn to parry an attack that got too close, but he needed to get through the maze that was The Malevolence.

Standing at one of the countless entrances to the trains, Kanan sidestepped, narrowly missing the down coming saber. Bringing his blade up, he spun, blocking each twist and turn his opponent tried to hit him with.

Kanan crouched low to avoid yet another swing, his dominant hand stretched out and his lightsaber ignited in his hands. He listened and brought himself to full height, sidestepping the next few swings without raising his hands once. He knew it wasn't fair to the Inquisitor, but if his opponent was trying to hit him, it wasn't working.

Trying to level the playing field a little bit more, he brought his saber up to intercept his blade, stopping it in its tracks.

“You know-” Kanan said, his voice airy and light as the heat of the lightsabers, still grinding together, hit his face. He smiled when he realized his opponent's hand was shaking from the strain. “-I expected you to be more of a challenge.”

 **“I expected you to fight.”** The Inquisitor yelled, sliding his saber off Kanan's and bringing his foot up. **“Not run away.”** He yelled, slamming his foot down on the floor.

It sent a shockwave through Kanan, the metal debris from the broken ship around him following suit as he was Force-thrown onto the train behind him. Only his quick reflexes and skirmishes he had as a ‘scoundrel’ kept him upright and prevented him from being mincemeat.

“I'm not running.” Kanan growled back, his stance relaxed as the train slowly started to move and gain speed. This was where he needed to be.

Stalking forward, Kanan took his lightsaber and jabbed it forward, twisting with it once the shot was blocked and got into a battle-ready stance similar to the one Obi-Wan frequently used.

When the Inquisitor ran to him, he blocked his swing and sidestepped him, managing to also elbow him in the face. The Inquisitor roared, swinging back harshly and Kanan barely met his blow.

They fought on for what seemed like hours, dancing a hateful dance that only sworn enemies seemed to know. One of bitterness, and hate, and survival. In a dangerous duel such as this one, there would only be one victor, and so they played a dangerous masquerade.

They twisted, and turned, and hissed, and growled, and yet Kanan blocked every deathly blow that was given with ease. It was clear the Inquisitor had never fought such an opponent, and he was still no match for the Jedi.

With the wind rushing through his face, Kanan almost didn't hear what was going on on the nearby train, but it seemed like Obi-Wan and General Grievous were taking part in a similar duel.

Using the momentary distraction, the Inquisitor leapt forward and knocked Kanan off balance with a well directed blow.

Kanan, now on the floor, was holding his lightsaber across his chest, the tip of it melting into the open train’s floor. The hiss of the metal and the clash of the grinding sabers was nearly deafening, but he managed to use his feet to kick the Inquisitor off. Unfortunately, the Inquisitor did not go as far as he had hoped, so while he stumbled along for balance, a hefty roundhouse kick to the hand caused Kanan’s saber to go flying off the moving train.

Using the force to find it, he felt a breath of relief escape him. His saber landed on the train below where Anakin and the Senator were. Paying closer attention, he also noticed that Senator Amidala picked up his fallen weapon, and had decided to grip it tightly in her hand as if it were a lifeline.

 _“Kanan?”_ The faint voice was barely a whisper and hardly heard through the wind, but the tone of disbelief was purely Anakin, and with his voice in mind, Kanan had an idea.

 **“Not so tough without your lightsaber?”** The Inquisitor teased wickedly, throwing his head back to release a deep laugh. Kanan, though blind, glared at him as if it would cause him to burst into flames.

“ _My_ lightsaber is not my only weapon.”

_Sorry Skywalker, I need to use this…_

Stumbling up, he reached his hand behind him, calling the fallen saber to him, and alongside it, he called Anakin’s too.

He was a little surprised that Anakin’s saber actually came, so when he finally found his footing, with the two lightsabers in tow Kanan ran forward. Twirling both his hands, the lightsabers resembled blurring lines as they crisscrossed in front, around, and gained momentum.

He remembered this move, he had seen Grievous do it once to another Jedi as a child. It was bold, and dangerous, and intimidating, and Kanan had watched as yet another Master was struck down and another lightsaber was added to that monster’s collection.

Now, Kanan could sense the Inquisitors hesitation but unlike the others, instead of fleeing, he was rushed.

With the two sabers, it was easy to block any attack the Inquisitor attempted to do, and easier to reach his opponent. Kanan had no weak spots now, while he had many, and Kanan planned on exploiting each and every one of them.

Kanan brought one hand forward, then one to the side.

Each time one hand was brought to block, another hand swung.

When Kanan attempted to jab, another hand was able to parry.

With each and every blow, Kanan covered more ground, and soon he was also fighting with his fists as they were still clenched around his weapons.

But, the Inquisitor was getting angry.

Every time he swung, a piece of machinery on the train broke, and every time he missed, sparks flew from the tracks. If he couldn't win, he would die with the Republic dog, no matter the cost.

With all that rage inside of him, burning him to his core, he swung out with a roar, and managed to knock one of the lightsabers out of Kanan’s hand. Now leaving him with one saber, the Inquisitor smirked, but instead of it flying down to the bottom of the ship, the Jedi reached his hand out, blocking his ongoing attacks, and brought it back to his hand along with a small piece of metal.

The Inquisitor had no idea what was about to come.

Bringing the hilts of the two sabers together, Kanan spun away and Force-bent the thin, durable scrap metal from the train around the bottom of the two and created a makeshift dual lightsaber.

Twisting them together in his hand to ensure that they were well and truly _stuck_ , Kanan twirled them, and squatted down in a defense pose before lunging forward and twisting the staff in a lieu reverse uppercut, twisting it overhead to flick it around and balance out on his feet.

The dual lightsaber was now straight along his shoulders with his left hand forward, fingers spread out, and twitched like they were waiting for something to fly into the palm of his hand.

Eyes widening in realization, the Inquisitor turned and brought his lightsaber up to block the oncoming projectile, yet nothing was there. It never occurred to him that it was a trap.

Kanan smiled, and jumped.

The Inquisitor had to bend backwards to block his attack.

The blind Jedi then decided to spin the joined lightsabers, turning them through the air with amazing precision.

The Inquisitor tried to match each strike blow for blow, but with the extra saber and the wider range of movement, he was quickly losing the battle.

Bringing his single red lightsaber up to block another swing, he noticed too late that Kanan had flicked his hands down, and brought the other one up to Force-push him to the back of the platform.

The Inquisitor looked down and screamed in fury.

There, laying in two burnt pieces on the ground of the now slowing train, was his lightsaber.

 **“This fight is far from _over_ , Kanan Jarrus.” **The Inquisitor hissed, using the Force to bring the still red metal pieces to him. He grabbed them, not flinching when the red hot metal touched his hands, and smiled.

Kanan backed up, finally getting off the train. He listened as the Inquisitor put the pieces of his saber in some sort of pocket, and jumped back off the other side of the train. Sensing where he was through the Force, he wasn't surprised that his opponent managed to land on a passing train below that was going in the opposite direction.

Once he was a suitable distance away, Kanan relaxed, turning off both of the lightsabers and using the Force to pry the metal from the bottoms to finally separate them.

He was ready to find the others, not that this treat had been dealt with. He was sure that at least Anakin and Senator Amidala had seen part of his battle, and he was unsure if he wanted to explain to them just exactly who he had fought.

Kanan turned, still lost in thought but ready to start running down the hall to get to the small transport ship he, Anakin, and Obi-Wan had landed in.

He wasn't prepared, nor ready, for the explosion that followed.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

Obi-Wan stumbled as an explosion rocked the warship, having to hold his hand out to rest against the wall as support.

_“Obi-Wan, come in.”_

“Anakin, i'm afraid Grievous is onto us.”

 _“Yeah-”_ Obi-Wan winced as he heard blasters firing in the background. _“-we've noticed!”_

“We’ll rendezvous back at the _Twilight_.” He said firmly, ducking into a room to avoid being seen by either General Grievous or his Cannon fodder. “The fleet must engage the-” A horrific screech coming out from his comms unit cut him off, and Obi-Wan cursed to himself. Grievous must've cut off all communications in the ship, leaving him all alone in enemy territory.

“Blast!” He growled, tapping his comms and trying in vain to get it to work.

Deciding to focus on the ship around him, Obi-Wan ran into the hallway and hid behind a pillar, noticing how the droids that past were running in the opposite direction of him before splitting into two group. Knowing that the group of Droids that were going right we're on it's way to his former Padawan, he could only guess that the group going deeper into the ship we're headed towards their missing third party.

Deciding to follow that group, Obi-Wan used the Force and pieces of scrap to climb into an open air vent to track them from there.

 

 

_____

 

 

They ended up back at the trains.

 _“Bring the fallen Jedi.”_ Obi-Wan’s pulse stuttered as he sucked in a surprised breath at the command. Anakin surely was safe by now, so that meant that Kanan had been taken down, but how? He had never seen him fight, not really, but from the rumors circling around him since his first mission, he had to be a truly exceptional fighter. From what he had heard, he had managed to single-handedly take down Count Dooku’s apprentice, there was no way he had been taken out by simple Droids such as these ones.

_“Since the General cut all communications in the ship, we’ll have to take him to the bridge until he decides what he wants to do with him.”_

_“Why don't we just leave him here? The ship is going to blow up anywa-aaaah!”_

_**“Leave the Jedi to ROT!”**_ A deep, powerful voice growled, and the bearded Jedi watched in paralyzing horror as the droid that was just talking was Force-crushed by an unseen enemy.

_“Inquisitor Kohvan-”_

_**“If the explosion didn't kill him-”** _ He cut off the next droid before stalking up to it, and Obi-Wan held his breath as he came into view. _**“-the next time we meet, I'll do it myself.”**_

The man looked sickly, even though his skin was tinged red. Inquisitor Kohvan must've beat him on height and muscle mass by a good few inches at least, but what got to him were his eyes. They were _completely_ black, the only color being the pale white pupil at the center.

Looking around, Obi-Wan spotted the entrance to the corridor that the droids had been headed to.

All he had left to do was wait.

_“So…I guess we just leave him there?”_

_“Yeah, unless you want to mess up your paint job with all that blood.”_

_“I just got shined a week ago…”_

Obi-Wan, though it pained him to do so, waited until the harsh metallic stomps stopped echoing in the hall before he leaned back to pop out the air filter from the vents. It crashed to the food with a loud ‘bang’ but he didn't care. Instead, he ran, quickly cutting down every droid that crossed his path, eliminating them before they could even use their vocal chords to scream.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

_“Jarrus, it's going to be alright.” A voice, light and far away said through the fog, and Kanan tried to turn towards it. Their voice was so sad, but their presence was so warm, he clung to it on instinct. “You're going to be alright…”_

_“You doltz…” They continued to speak, their voice charming and lulling him to sleep, and it felt even more natural to burrow into it. “...what were you thinking?”_

_“Jarrus, you have to stay with me…”_

_“Come on, Kanan, stay with me…Kanan?…”_

_**“Kanan!”** _

 

 

...oOo...

 

 

“Ugh, this would be so much easier if I had my lightsaber.” Anakin hissed, bringing his hand out and glaring at the droids, crushing them until they short-circuited and shut off. _“Kriffin’ Jarrus…”_ He whispered harshly under his breath, walking past his wife with a frown.

Getting into the nearest elevator, Anakin smirked. It led straight to the Bridge.

“Come on, let's go up.” He said, smiling at Padmé, and she laughed at him, standing on her toes so she could kiss him on the cheek.

“Ever since you were little, you've been playing with Droids…” she huffed at him fondly as the lift door closed.

 

…

 

_“The General is demanding a status report. Is the hyperdrive panel repaired yet?”_

_“It's almost done.”_

_“I'll give him the good news.”_

Their voices were muffled by the lift door, but once they finally opened, Padmé stepped forward, her blaster already ready. She fires three shots, each one hitting their mark and she smiled in satisfaction as the three Droids that were alone on the Bridge fell to the floor.

“That…” Anakin breathed out, pointing and staring at the woman in wonder. “…was amazing.”

“I know.” She smirked, placing her non dominant hand on her hip and leaning to the side. “So, where do we start?”

“First, we need to get rid of these droids.” He said, turning around to gaze at the room, his eyes landing on the hyperdrive panel. “Then, we need to Hotwire the ship so they can't start the hyperdrive, and I'm…” Anakin smiled wickedly, walking over to the panel and sitting down. “...going to give Grievous a little present.”

He heard a huff in the background and Padmés voice saying something along the lines of _‘I guess I'll get rid of the droids then.’_ but they were drowned out by his own thoughts and tinkering.

 

…

 

“Well-” Anakin grunted, standing up and cracking his back. “-that ought to do it. How's the housecleaning going?”

“I've been waiting on you.” Padmé quipped back, managing to squeeze a laughter out of him.

“Let's get going then.” He smiled, walking over to the lift they had come in through. They waited only a few short moments before the doors opened again, but this time, instead of Battle Droids, he was face to face with the first droid he ever made.

“Threepio!” He and Padmé yelled in happiness, but his emotion quickly turned into confusion when he looked around and saw R-2 with him. “What’re you two doing? Don't just stand there, let's go!” He yelled, starting at a jog as he made his way down the long corridor and led the three of them to the emergency airlock at the end of the hall.

“Power up the engines, Artoo.” He said, smile still on his face as he turned to his wife. “Go in with them, and get the ship ready to leave.” He ordered.

Raising a single brow at him, Padmé smiled back and nodded before opening the airlock and disappearing into the ship below them.

Anakin, satisfied that his love and his two droids were safe, closed the doors that opened the emergency airlock, and waited somewhat patiently for Obi-Wan and Jarrus to arrive.

Leaning back against the door, Anakin decided to think back to what the blind Jedi had told him before this part of the mission.

 

…

 

_“What I am about to say does not leave this room, you understand?” Kanan growled out, making Anakin wince. He was grabbing his flesh, hard enough to leave bruises._

_“Jarrus-”_

_“Do you-” Kanan hissed, gripping Anakin's arm even tighter. “- **understand**.”_

 

…

 

He had seemed so desperate, but after he had listened to his story, he could kind of understand why. It wasn't embarrassing that he had been bested by a Sith, but it wasn't something he wanted to broadcast to the galaxy either.

Anakin would keep his promise, but only at a cost. He wanted-no, needed to everything about this man. Who he was, where he came from, why he was here? These were all questions that were, so far, still unanswered.

He wanted to trust the man, Force, did he want to, but something at the back of his head kept whispering ‘not yet’ and Anakin had never been one to ignore his emotions or his instincts. Then again, the man had confided in him, not Obi-Wan, and that too had to stand for something. Adding it in with the equation, he decided to keep reflecting on what he knew and had seen so far.

 

…

 

_“Kanan?” Anakin called out, looking up in confusion. Up above him on a different train, Kanan Jarrus was on the floor, bloodied and beaten to the ground from what he assumed was an intense lightsaber battle with some other being. It wasn't Grievous, he would know that face anywhere, but it was something else._

_Something darker._

_Turning around, he noticed that Jarrus’ lightsaber had also fallen onto his and Padme’s train. From the looks of it, she had grabbed it and decided to hold it to her chest for a closer inspection._

_“Is this his?” She asked him, eyes sparkling in wonder as she twisted and turned the hilt of the blade in her hand. Anakin had to admit, it was impressive for a lightsaber._

_It had many different assembly pieces that made it unique to the user and hard to disassemble, black strip gripping pads spanning the hilt for better use, which Anakin assumed was very helpful. The gripping pads would prevent his hands from sliding off, and absorb the sweat his palms would cause from the exercise caused while using it. The saber also has a clip at the bottom to attach on a belt and a flared tip._

_That last part seemed newer than the rest of it though._

_Kanan had probably added it on after he had been blinded, so his hands wouldn't accidentally get too close to the blade. It was smart, and apparently effective since he still had all his fingers._

_Eyes widening in wonder, Anakin zeroed in on the small control panel sticking out from the side of the saber. Jarrus, somehow, had a blade length adjustable control, and a low-pressure setting embedded to the switch._

_For a moment, he wondered to himself how he had made it, before he stumbled forward in shock as the lightsaber was ripped from his via the Force, his own going with it._

_“Hey!” He shouted, reaching his hand out to try and call his saber back to him, but Kanan was too strong, and it looked like without it, he would lose the battle against the dark Force user. So, instead, Anakin dropped his hand, eyes still focused on the two as he and Padmé got off their train and into one of the long corridors behind them._

 

…

 

Kanan had been going up against a very powerful dark Force user, and had held his own against him. He wondered how he fared while he waited for the two to get to the ship.

 

  
_____

 

 

As luck would have it, Anakin didn't have to wait long. Nearly a minute later, Obi-Wan was turning the corner with an unconscious, bloodied, and broken Kanan Jarrus in his arms.

“Hold the ship!” His master yelled, grunting and nearly dropping to the floor as he stumbled over some scrap.

 _“Force…”_ Anakin breathed out, his eyes widening as he pulled himself off the wall and ran over to Obi-Wan.

Kanan, who he thought had won the fight, was literally smoking. The whole left side of his body looked like it had gotten some nasty 2nd degree burns. His face was face was puffed, eye sockets swollen along with his nose. His jaw was dislocated and hanging off to the side.

Anakin didn't even want to look down to see the rest of him, but curiosity got the better of him.

 _“Maker’s name…”_ he shuddered, taking it all in before looking away and helping Obi-Wan drag his body into the airlock, and down into the ship.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

Padmé gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as Obi-Wan and Anakin brought what looked like a _smoking dead body_ onto the ship. Eyes pricking with tears, she watched as they maneuvered him onto a table and strapped him down so he wouldn't move.

Getting up to get a closer look, she stopped, the smell of burnt flesh and blood finally reaching her nose. She turned, running to the nearest empty box and gagged.

The man on the table had to be Jarrus.

Padmé wasn't sure if he was even alive, but after she was done dry heaving, she shook her head and held her breath, not looking in the burnt man’s direction as she walked over to her husband and long time friend.

“I'll contact the fleet…” she said softly, placing her hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder as she looked at Anakin. Obi-Wan, at the moment, was sitting next to their fallen companion and staring blankly at the scratch on the table that Jarrus was currently laying on. Glancing his way for a brief second, Padmé closed her eyes and breathed out through her mouth at the sight of his blood, and tried to drown out the _drip-drip-dripping_ noise as it seeped onto the floor.

Leaving the back room, she made her way to the cockpit, ignoring the way that Anakin was embracing Obi-Wan, and how Obi-Wan had yet to let go of Jarrus’ hand. He had been gripping onto it like a lifeline, and that was the only reason she assumed that the burnt man was even still alive.

Getting into the pilot's seat, she buckled in, flipping switches and pushing buttons to get it ready to leave.

“Artoo…” she trailed off, nodding as he heard the questioning beep. “…can you please release the docking clamps.”

Smiling as he made his famous little trill, she nudged the controls and started flying the _Twilight_ towards the cruisers in distance. 


	12. Hopeless - Mini Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is just a mini-chapter that's between the last chapter and the next one. It's barely 2,300 words, but it's just a tease to keep you guys waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a mini-chapter to keep you guys on the edge of your seats. 
> 
> I promise, you'll want to choke me when this is over.

_“Kanan…don't worry, everything will be alright.” Obi-Wan drawled out, his voice soft and comforting as Kanan tilted his head. His head was fuzzy and full of cotton, but if he focused hard enough he could still hear the weariness in the older Jedi’s voice. “You just have to stay awake.”_

_“Kanan?” He sounded sad, but that word didn't sit right with him. He was more…concerned? Melancholy? Despondent? Higher words eluded him, but he didn't like the way he sounded one bit. Obi-Wan wasn't supposed to be sad. No one was supposed to be sad._

_Why was he sad?_

_“Can you hear me?”_

_‘Of course I can hear you…’ he thought, his voice only managing a range of noises and mumbles instead of words. For some reason, his body wasn't responding to him. He was sure that he felt the shock sinking in a while ago, but at this point, he wasn't sure if it was Obi-Wan’s or his own._

_“You have to stay with us Kanan…” there was a light tapping on the side of his face, like someone was trying to keep him awake, but the cotton got thicker as the fog settled in and his mind turned blank. “Come on…sssstay with mmme.”_

 

_______

 

_“Stars above…” there was another voice, or were there multiple? They voices were all the same, but this one wasn't one he knew, only a one he recognized. “I need a Medic here ASAP!”_

_“His heart is slowed, his breath is stuttering…pupils…uh-”_

_“He was already blind before the incident.” Obi-Wan cut in, and Kanan tried his best to smile at the Doctor above him. His mouth ended up twitching, which was something, but because of the burns on his body he was sure they didn't even see it._

_“Alright then…pupils acting accordingly.” The voice continued, and he breathed in deeply in lieu of a laugh. He wasn't sure if they had already injected him with pain medication, but the adrenaline was probably causing him not to really feel anything._

_That or his nerve endings were burnt to a crisp._

_Without warning, his body started being wracked with coughs, his limbs twitching violently while blood was spat out of his mouth._

_If he didn't feel anything before, he would now. As he was hacking up blood, excruciating white pain shot through him, sending him into another coughing fit as his body thrashed._

_“Somebody get me an oxygen tank and some anesthetics!”_

_“Anesthetics?” Anakin’s voice was filtered through the haze. It sounded angry, but that wasn't right was it? There was none of the fear he felt the first time. His instincts have never failed him before, and right now, they told him that he was safe, which was weird. He was sure he was in pain just a moment ago…_

_“We need to prep him for emergency surgery.”_

_“There's a giant gash on the back of his head. If someone can get that checked out-”_

_“Got it sir!”_

_“I'm sorry, what're you doing?” His voice rang out again, sounding angrier, and full of…rage. This time it wasn't as dark, but it also wasn't aimed towards him._

_“Checking for any broken bones while my nurse attends to his head wound.” There was slight pressure roaming around his body. He hardly felt it as he struggled for air. “No broken bones, but there are some minor fractures on his ribs. Get an x-ray setup! I need to see if he's punctured his lungs.”_

_“On it!”_

_“There seems to be scarring from previous injuries and-somebody get me some scissors, some bacta and freshwater stat!”_

_“W-wait!” The older voice, the one with the beard and the eyes and the bright… bright light…_

_What was his name…?_

_Where was he going? “Where are you taking him-”_

_“I'm sorry sir, only family or the people listed as emergency contacts are allowed beyond this point.”_

_“But-”_

_“You're going to have to wait to see him until visiting hours.”_

_“When will the surgery be done.” Her voice…he knew that voice. It was strong and wobbly, but he knew it. He knew her…she was important._

_“I'm not allowed to disclose that information…” there was a sigh, and Kanan couldn't help but breathe through his nose as a mask was put on his face. “...but…I’ll keep you updated on his status.”_

_“Thank you.” Their voices sang to him all at once, sounding relieved and scared and concerned. Who were they…_

_Why did they care so much about him?_

_He blinked, once…twice…before closing his eyes and succumbing into the darkness in front of him._

 

  
_______

 

_“Right now, General Jarrus is in the ICU recovering from a successful surgery.” There was a unanimous sigh of relief that went out of the small crowd in front of the Doctor, but they sobered immediately once they realized he had continued talking. “Unfortunately, he almost flatlined once on the table, so we’re going to have to monitor him for a few more hours before you can see him.”_

_“Is he awake, at least?” Riot asked, looking at his brother, worry clear in his eyes. They all frowned as ye other clone slowly shook his head._

_“We’re slowly taking him off the anesthesia, but so far he's shown no signs of movement, and he might not for some time.” The Doctor looked to his PAD and tapped a few times before nodding and looking back up to the expectant faces. “He's still listed in the computer as Critical Condition, but once he’s Stable, I’ll be able to tell you five when you can actually see him.”_

 

_______

 

_Obi-Wan sighs, sinking deeper into the chair he had placed next Kanan’s bed. Putting his head in his hands, he breathed in, closing his eyes and trying to block out all the beeping from the machines his friend was currently hooked onto._

_“...he’ll wake up, Obi-Wan.” Anakin said, placing his hand on his Master’s shoulder as he tries to console him, but it's clear even without looking at him that he doesn't know what to say._

_“...the Doctor said he's in critical condition. They don't know if he’ll wake up at all.”_

_“...there's still hope, Obi-Wan.” He said firmly, gripping onto his shoulder tighter. It was clear though that he didn't get through to him when his shoulders hunched up even more and he refused to look at anything put Jarrus’ pale, unmoving hand._

_“Come on Master, get up. You could use some fresh air.”_

 

_______

 

_“Doctor, is there nothing more you can do?” Padmé asked, slightly leaning into Ahsoka next to her as she strived to comfort the young teen. She knew that although she wasn't showing it, she too had grown fond of the man she had heard so much about, and she wanted to be able to help as much of she could._

_So, if that meant slight unseen comfort, Padmé would do it for her husband's Padawan._

_“...well, the most we can do is put him in a bacta tank. Hopefully it will speed the healing process, but if that doesn't work, we’ll have to wait and see if he wakes up on his own.”_

_“Alright, well why haven't you done that.” Ahsoka but in before she could ask. Padmé merely raised a single brow at the Doctor in front of her, waiting to hear his response._

_“The bacta is an expensive alternative. Jedi, even high ranking one’s like General Kenobi, can't possibly afford it based on their income. I would've done it already, don't get me wrong, but it seems that there's nothing on General Jarrus’ medical records apart from his name and the injuries listed from his last visit. We have no contact information, no Galactic Security Number, no Credit Readers listed, no Insurance…there's just…nothing.”_

_“Not even a Birth Certificate or Dental records or…?” She questioned, furrowing her eyebrows as confusion and red lights flashed in her mind. That wasn't right. Every citizen was born with a GSN, and Insurance was affordable to almost everyone, but them being unable to even find a Birth Certificate??_

_Padmé looked to the side, sharing a look with the young Togruta before turning her attention back to the Clone in front of them._

_“No. That's the strange part. I've even sent word to the Jedi Temple for any medical information, and they can't give me anything because they simply just don't have it.”_

_She has to look into this herself, and she was sure that Ahsoka would be willing to help._

_“Well…” she trailed off, looking at Obi-Wan and Anakin though the glass. “...I'll pay for the bacta tank treatment.” She said firmly as she held up her hand to cut off the Clone,_

_“Senator-”_

_“Obi-Wan is a long time friend, and although I don't know Jarrus, he obviously means a lot to him. I'm willing to pay the fee. it'll hardly be anything coming out of my account.” She raised her head and crossed her arms, leaning no room for argument. It seemed that he picked up on it, going by his defeated expression. Gesturing them to follow, he started walking and led them to one of the many systems so she could put in her Credit Reader and send all the medical bills to her account._

_Ahsoka, though she barely got a glimpse of her account, bugged her eyes out and looked away, coughing in surprise at the large sum._

_“Would you also like me to put you down as an emergency contact, just in case he wakes sooner than expected?”_

_“...No.” She sighed, looking back. She couldn't even see the room from here, but she wasn't the one that needed to know everything that would happen to the man through the door. “Add Kenobi as the primary contact.”_

_Opening his mouth to argue again, he stopped, noticing that both Padmé and Ahsoka had crossed their arms and were giving him the same determined look._

_“Yes ma’am.”_

 

_______

 

_“Padmé, I can't possibly ask you to pay for all this-”_

_“Obi-Wan, I have more than enough money to pay for everyone's treatment here. If it means that he gets the treatment he needs and you don't have to empty your pockets, i'm going to do it for you.”_

_“…Thank you.” he breathed out, standing up from the chair to hug her tightly. She returned the gesture in kind, closing her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the shape Kanan was in. He looked better, sure, but his mangled body would forever be etched in her brain._

 

_______

 

_“The good news is, all of the external wounds he's suffered won't leave any physical scarring after the treatment.” A nurse said, looking each of them in the eyes as he gestured for his brothers to come in and move the patient._

_“But, will he be alright?” Padmé asked, leaning back into Anakin subconsciously as she waited for her answer._

_“Are you suggesting that there was internal damage?” Anakin asked, furrowing his brows in concern. The nurse looked him in the eyes and sighed, evading the question._

_That alone was enough confirmation for the mood to shift._

_“We're any of you there when he got these injuries? Do you know exactly what caused them?” The nurse asked instead, waving a hand to the three of them so they could follow him to the tanks._

_“I…” Obi-Wan trailed off, looking uncertain as he recalled the conversation he had heard while he was in the vents looking for Kanan._

_“Please, General Kenobi, any information will help.”_

_“I…I overheard droids just before I managed to pick him up saying that he was caught in some type of explosion.” He said, not mentioning to him that it was apparently caused by an Inquisitor. If word got out that this…Inquisitor Kohvan was the one who caused his injuries, it would cause an uproar throughout the temple._

_This situation needed to be dealt with precision, and he could only tell those he trusted the most with this kind of information._

_“What does that have to do with anything?” Anakin questioned, his conflicting emotions showing through for the briefest moment before he managed to reign them in._

_“There was some pieces of scrap we found lodged into his body. We managed to get all the pieces out in time before he bled out, but there were some other…complications.” The nurse replied easily, pausing as he searched to find the right words._

_“What kind of complications?” Padmé demanded, walking up to watch as the Clones took the unconscious edi into a separate lift._

_“His brain hemorrhaged while he was in surgery, and while we managed to stop the blood, it was only because of our advanced technology here on Kaliida Shoals. If you had taken him anywhere else, I'm afraid General Jarrus wouldn't have made it.”_

_“But…he'll be fine, right?” Anakin strained out, clearing his throat when it cracked._

_“I'm sorry…I really can't say.”_

_“What?!” Padmé and Anakin hissed at the Clone, watching as Obi-Wan stepped back and away from them. He only managed to make it two steps before he froze. Following his line of sight, Anakin saw that he was watching as Kanan Jarrus was hooked up and lowered into the Bacta Tank in the near distance._

_“We managed to stop the bleeding in his brain, and his wounds will be gone within the week but…I'm not sure when…or even if he’ll wake up. He hasn't been put under any medications aside from common anesthesia for the surgery and some light pain relievers while he recovers, but aside from monitoring him…I'm sorry…_

_…there's nothing else we can do.”_


	13. Pouring the Fuel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More angst and confusion AND PLOT for you guys! Dun dun duuuuuun...
> 
> I figured I kept you guys hangin off that cliffhanger long enough, so BEHOLD THE NEXT CHAPTER !

Anakin sighed, tapping his fingers in an erratic rhythm while he stared at the steady beep of the heart monitor beside him. He was sitting next to Jarrus, watching as his chest rose and fell on the hospital bed. Today he was being transferred over to the Temple.

He had decide to be on the transport ship with him to make sure that he made it okay. There was no doubt in his mind that he wouldn't, but he wanted to be there just in case he woke up on the ride over. Obi-Wan would've been there, but he had been called over to the Temple a few days earlier to meet with the Council.

He had elected not to go with him. Most of the Council didn't like him present in the meetings. His decisions were always ‘too rash’ or he needed to ‘control his temper’ or something equally as crazy and irrational. They were the ones who had gone on with this war, and while he enjoyed the fighting, he wanted peace like the rest of them. He had already spent months fighting this war and nothing had changed in that time.

The people were already losing hope.

“Sir…” Riot, the only Clone of Kanan's little group to make it to Kaliida Shoals on such short notice, spoke quietly into the silence of the room. He had nodded to him, but Anakin just waved it away.

“You don't need to do that to me…” he soothed with a smile. “...not here.”

“I just…” Riot hesitated, not knowing if he should step in the room or just wait in the doorway. Anakin raised his brow, straightening up in his chair as he waited for the nervous Clone to continue. “…I wanted to see him before I go.”

“Go?”

“Cody and Rex asked if I wanted to join them on their mission. We're going to check on the rookies on a small base in the outer rim. I'm hoping it'll get my mind off of things.”

“How are your brothers, the ones that…” Anakin frowns, waving at kanan's little insignia on Riot’s armor. Looking down and understanding what he meant, he smiled and shrugged, looking back at the Jedi.

“They're busy. Jek is on a mission. Books is at the Temple. I opted to stay on the cruiser, but with everything going on, I need something to do.” Jumping s but at the sudden noise coming from his communicator, Riot winced and backed up. “Ah, I need to get going. It was nice speaking to you General Skywalker.” He smiled, bowing slightly as he left.

“You too Riot.” Anakin sighs, his fingers resuming tapping that same erratic rhythm as he looked back at the monitor. “You too…”

 

 

_____

 

 

Getting up out of his chair, Anakin hummed to himself. The Doctors had come in not too long ago and had told him that they had rescheduled Kanan’s transport to tomorrow and that they needed to complete a few more tests before it was safe for him to fly, even in his comatose state. So, in order to cure his boredom, he decided to look for his Master.

They were still on Obi-Wan’s cruiser, and neither of them have gone on any missions, so seeking him out was his only plan of action at the moment.

Walking along the many hallways, he finally made his way to the bridge, but was surprised at what he saw.

Obi-Wan was leaning over the giant holo-table to the far right, which would be normal if it wasn't for the dark bags under his eyes. His hair was tousled very slightly, his clothes were slightly misaligned and wrinkled, his cheeks were sunken in, his fists were clenching and unclenching frequently. He looked worn out, maybe even _tired_ , and that was enough for alarm to seize the young Jedi’s mind.

Looking around, he saw some Clones, and even Master Plo Koon, glance at the bearded Jedi in poorly hidden concern. Anakin was looking at him concerned. He had never seen him like this, and he needed to talk to him before he could get any worse.

“You're still here Obi-Wan?” He sighed, feigning curiosity and relaxed when a few eyes finally glanced away. “When’s the last time you slept?”

“I'll sleep when we catch Inquisitor Kohvan.”

“ _Inquisitor_ Kohvan?” He hissed, eyes widening as his voice took a higher pitch as he choked on air. He had said it so casually, his eyes never leaving the map of the Galaxy that was spread out all around them. He had zoomed it enough on the holo-table that he could actually walk through it.

“Clone intelligence spotted Grievous in the Balmorra System about a week ago, but I doubt he’s still there with him…”

“Woah, wait-back up." He flailed his arms, rounding on the older Jedi. "You said _**Inquisitor** Kohvan._ ” He repeated, stressing the words loud enough to cause his Master's eyes to snap to him. Everybody else was far enough that they wouldn't know what they were talking about, but this, this was _madness!_ “Obi-Wan, the Inquisitors have been gone for _thousands of years-_ ”

“Which is probably the only reason why Kanan didn't win that fight!” he argued, sharply turning his head around to look at his Padawan. Anakin, shocked at the small outburst, stepped back and watched as he shook his head and turned back to the projections. “…but even then I've heard that Kanan is a _very_ powerful Force-wielder.”

“…this... _Inquisitor_ …” Anakin made a face, carefully picking his words as he tried to get information out of his Master. He _had_ seen Jarrus fighting someone on the Malevolence, someone he had never seen before… “…what do you know about him?”

“Just his appearance.” Obi-Wan replied, waving his hand behind him like he was brushing away a fly. “I've tried all the known data banks I have at my disposal, looking for any information about Sith Inquisitors, but I could only find the barest information on them. By all accounts, he shouldn't even exist. The only thing I can think of is-”

“-that he’s the Sith Lord we’ve been chasing all these years. Why show himself now, and blow up Kanan of all Jedi?”

“...for some reason, Kanan is a threat to the Sith, but _why?"_ He stressed, tapping his chin. "What could he _possibly_ have against them that the rest of the Order does not?”

The two of them looked on at the star chart in silence. Obi-Wans words had struck a chord in him, and for one, he didn't know what to think of the blind Jedi. If he was a part of a Separatist plot, why would the Sith try to kill him? If he were any other Jedi, they would've fought back, but this Inquisitor character seemed to be singling out Kanan specifically. If Jarrus were any normal Jedi, they wouldn't single him out like that, which meant a number of things. Either Jarrus was hiding something of mass importance from the Jedi, something that could change the course of the war...or Kanan was not as he seemed.

Anakin didn't know which one sounded worse, but he did know one thing for sure. Kanan Jarrus truly _was_ on their side.

That didn't mean he had to like him...though it did mean he had to get used to him.

 _How unfortunate…_ he thought to himself, rolling his eyes before focusing his eyes back on his Master, recalling what he had seen on General Grievous’ warship.

“…when we were on the Malevolence, Padmé and I were heading back to the ship when I saw Kanan engaged in a ferocious lightsaber duel.” He started out, looking away from Obi-Wan once his eyes snapped to him. He didn't want to see the turmoil in the older mans eyes, it would cause Anakin too much pain, and it would distract him from what he was about to say. “Master…it was _insane_.” He breathed out, shaking his head as he started to pace. “I've never felt power like that before, from _anything_. The Inquisitor was like a black hole, his Force Signature was so dark it was almost nothing, but Jarrus…He was like a hurricane, stronger that him and unlike anything I had ever seen...he wasn't just holding his own, Master…

“He was _winning_.”

There was quiet in their circle, the murmuring in the background and the beeps of machinery seemed to fade away, both of them lost in their own minds to comprehend what was going on all around them.

“ …Kanan was caught in an explosion on Grievous’ ship.” Obi-Wan started slowly, crossing his arms over his chest and bringing one hand up to stroke his beard. “Kohvan must've sabotaged the integrity of the train they were fighting on. That's the only thing that could've caused such a huge explosion in the belly of the Malevolence, but the question still remains… _why Kanan?_ ”

“I don't know…” Anakin growled, getting frustrated with himself for not knowing, for how could he? He was not a Sith, he was not a Separatist…he didn't know who to ask or who to trust with this information besides Padmé and Ahsoka. “…but we have to find out.”

“...how's he holding up?” Obi-Wan mumbled. Anakin almost didn't hear him, but he sighed and answered anyways, even though nothing had changed.

“He's stable. Brain function is normal, heart rate is normal, he's already finished the Bacta Tank treatment so his scars from the explosion are gone…Have you seen him at all since they started the treatment?”

“...no.” He said, straightening his back as he glared at empty air. “I have more important things to do.”

“You need rest, Master-”

“I can't, Anakin!” He yelled and Anakin,shocked by the outburst, jumped back, finally looking at his Master and noticing the haunted look and the bags under his eyes for the first time. “I've tried.” He whispered harshly.

R-2 must've rolled up behind him when he wasn't looking, because he heard the small astromech beep forlornly, and Anakin turned to see his specs faced towards Obi-Wan as he trilled in question.

Anakin, not wanting to end the conversation on a bad note, opened his mouth to apologize but was interrupted before he could attempt to say anything.

“Excuse me, General Kenobi-” Admiral Yularen’s voice boomed into the silence, causing the two Jedi to turn to him in greeting. “-there's an incoming transmission from Commander Cody.”

They sighed and shaked their heads, silently vowing to themselves that they were going to figure this all out. “Patch him through.”Obi-Wan commanded, turning his body back to the holo-table.

 _“General Skywalker, General Kenobi”_ the Clone greets, nodding to them both. They smiled back, waving at their friend through the hologram.

“Cody, how's the inspection going?” Anakin asks, crossing his arms as he smiles at his friend.

_“Well, the tracking station in Pastil is fully operational. Captain Rex, Riot and I are proceeding to the outpost in the Rishi system. Hopefully, our boys there have nothing to report.”_

“Sounds good.” Anakin replied happily. “Report back when you've arrived.”

_“Yes sir. Cody out.”_

Noticing the thoughtful/concerned look on Obi-Wan’s face as Cody ended the transmission, Anakin sighed and turned to him, waiting until Admiral Yularen was out of earshot until he said anything to the aging Jedi. “Don't worry Master, if General Grievous or his ‘friend’ come anywhere near this quadrant, we’ll know about it.”

“I know.” Obi-Wan sighed, furrowing his brows and looking at the younger Jedi. “That's what worries me.”

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

Padmé sighed, tapping her fingers in an erratic rhythm while she stared at the data pad in front of her. After talking to the Doctor that was taking care of Jarrus, her and Ahsoka had decided to do a little investigating.

She had gone back to Coruscant, and back to her home on Naboo, disguising her visits as Political ones, taking the time to meet up with other Senators and talk about political nonsense. Her heart wasn't really in it the past week, but no harm could come from trying to better the Galaxy, or so she told herself.

Right now, she was just trying to patiently wait for Ahsoka in front of the Temple, so they could meet up with her after her training. She had agreed to sneak Padmé into the Jedi Archives in the Coruscant Temple so she could try and hack into the servers to see if they had any record of Kanan or his history in there. It had taken them quite a bit of planning, they had to be precise and quiet, there was no room for mistakes in this type of situation.

Only Jedi we're allowed into the Archives, and seeing as she was a very well known Senator and very much not a Jedi, she was not allowed to go anywhere near their sacred artifacts or documents. She was lucky Ahsoka had even agreed to help her. It had taken a little bit to convince the young Togruta, but eventually her curiosity got the better of her, and she too had wanted to know why there was no records of anyone named Kanan Jarrus.

She could trace back to see if they had just been erased, and could take the code to track down who did it, but if there really wasn't anything about him in their records…then who was he?

And where did he come from?

 

 

_____

 

 

“Ahsoka!” Padmé greeted, standing straight while she smiled widely at the red-skinned girl. She was currently jogging over to her, a small smile on her face while she huffed from exertion, but instead of greeting the Senator back, she quickly brought a finger to her lips to signal for silence. Padmé, narrowing her eyes, quickly realized that whatever they had to do to get into the Library, they had to do it fast. Ahsoka had probably taken so much time so they could have a clear opening and sneak in, and there was no time to waste.

The young Togruta quickly motioned with her hand to follow, and she did. They were jogging lightly, trying to be quick and quiet while they made their way down the massive, barren halls of the Jedi Temple. Night had already fallen here on Coruscant, which meant that only the Temple Guards would be roaming the halls.

“There's a vent in the far end of this hallway that has a path leading into the Archives…” Ahsoka whispered, grabbing Padmé’s hand and pulling her, ducking into a room not speaking while a Guard rounded the corner and made their way down the hall. “…I managed to override the security systems in the vents that would've prevented intruders from sneaking in, but I was only able to do it in this specific vent for a _**very** specific_ amount of time.” She mumbled, flicking her eyes towards the hallway once she heard the footsteps subsiding. They waited a few seconds in tense silence, neither of them breathing before Ahsoka nodded and motioned for Padmé to follow.

“How much time so we have?” The Senator hissed in question, lowering her body to try and muffle her footsteps against the carpet.

“About an hour.” She responded quickly, never straying her eyes from the corridor. “That's when the next Guard will make a pass through this part of the Temple.”

“What about the Librarian?” Padmé asked, looking around and keeping watch while Ahsoka knelt down and fiddled with the vent shaft on the floor. It was fairly big, and wide enough for the both of them to crawl through comfortably, but once she ducked down to look, she could see that the path was actually split in two.

“Master Jocasta has retired for the night.”

Padmé nodded, taking a deep breath as Ahsoka started to crawl through the vent. Leaning down and getting on her knees, she checked the hallway twice before she started to crawl through after her husband's Padawan.

Crawling was tedious. Her knees would get scraped by the metal, there was dust everywhere, her hair would get caught and staticky, the vents would get smaller depending on where they were going, her hands would definitely have blisters by the end of all this but it was all worth it.

It felt like it took them a while to navigate through the vents and get to the library, but when they finally arrived and Ahsoka placed the vent to the side, she checked her Pad and saw that it had only been about five minutes. Getting up and leaning against the wall for support, Padmé rummaged through one of her many pockets and took out a small device about the size of her thumb.

Looking around, her eyes landed on an access panel. Making sure to stay out of sight of the cameras, Padmé made her way to it and wedged it open, placing the device inside and turning it on.

“What is that for?” Ahsoka asked at a normal volume, despite the quiet eeriness of the dark empty library.

Closing the access panel, she started to tap a fee buttons, entering the code linked to the small device. “It's so the cameras will turn off and the feed will loop so it'll look like we were never here.” Padmé said, still tapping a few buttons and turning on the lights and the computers in the middle. Ahsoka nodded, backing away slightly so she could take in all the lights.

Light footsteps filled the library as the two walked in silence to the computers. Padmé had sure footsteps, her back straight as she walked up to one of the machines and started to take out the paneling, inserting another encryption device so she could safely hack into the mainframe without leaving a trace. With this, no one would know that anyone was even in the computer and accessing unauthorized data.

“We really shouldn't be doing this, Senator…”

“Please Ahsoka, call me Padmé.” Smiling softly, the Senator watches as Ahsoka ducks her head so she wouldn't see the small pleased smile on her face.

“Sooo…” Ahsoka starts, jumping on the table and swinging her feet while she waits for the computer to safely turn on and start the program. Padmé smiles, raising a single brow as she looks at the Padawans childish demeanor. “…how do you know Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker?”

“Back when I was about your age, I had disguised myself as one of my handmaidens and had included myself in one of Master Jinn's missions on Tatooine while I strayed from my diplomatic one.”

“You knew Master Jinn?!” Her voice squealed with wonder and awe and Padmé chuckle.

“Oh yes, I knew Master Jinn. That was also where I first met Obi-Wan. He was still a Padawan then, and Anakin…well, Anakin was in a bad place.”

“...tell me _everything_.” She says, a smile in her voice as well as her face as she turned and crossed her legs over each other on the table. Turning to look at the teen, Padmé’s grin widened when she saw that she had put her chin in her hands and was leaning forwards and waiting intensely.

“Well…” She started hesitantly, weighing the pros and cons of telling the young girl of such a story, considering what happened. But, Padmé found that when she looked at the Togruta and saw the same determination as her husband, she couldn't say no, and instead started weaving an epic tale of humor, war, a transition from young Padawan to Jedi Knight, and rescuing a young slave boy with nothing but the cash in their pocket and a pod-race. “…it all started when Supreme Chancellor Valorum sent Qui-Gon Jinn and Padawan Kenobi to negotiate with the Trade Federation to get rid of the blockade that was surrounding my home planet of Naboo…”

 

 

_____

 

 

“What!” Ashoka laughs, clutching her stomach as she tried to gulp in air. “There-there is no way Master Kenobi could do that!”

“Hey, don't let his elusiveness and his wisdom fool you! Back then Obi-Wan was just as reckless as Anakin and-” the computer in front of them beeped, and Padmé gasped, her eyes widening. “Oh! Oh, Ahsoka look!” Padmé gasped again, waving to the computer. There on the screen was complete blackness, except for a long rectangular blue search bar.

“Were in!” Ahsoka yells excitedly, forgetting that she totally _wasn't supposed to be doing this_ , and jumped off the table, getting in the chair in front of Padme.

 

**Search : Kanan Jarrus**

_No Records Found_

 

Padmé cursed, quickly backspacing and moving her fingers, typing in something different. If Kanan was on here as Kanan Jarrus, he would've popped up, but it seemed like not even his medical records from the first time he was hurt during the battle of Kristofsis wasn't even on here.

That was strange, but she had to keep looking.

 

**Search : Blind Jedi**

_Found : 3,476 Articles on ‘Blind Jedi’_

 

Ahsoka hummed, skimming her eyes through all the data files they had, but all of them were outdated, some even hundreds of years old. Softly batting away the Senators hands, she moved her fingers slowly, not used to typing, and tried to get something from this time period.

 

**Refine Search : Current**

_No Records Found_

 

They frowned in unison, staring at the screen.

Kanan was living proof that there was at least one blind Jedi in the world, and something so trivial as a searching something that should be so easy to find was unnerving.

Uselessly, they tried multiple combinations that had anything to do with Kanan, but the only thing they could find were some recently written reports. His name wasn't mentioned in any of them, so they couldn't be sure that they were actually about _him_.

Thinking in silence, Padmé furrowed her brows, trying to think of anything else they could try before she snapped her fingers and nodded.

“I know what else we can do.” She said, briefly looking at the girl in front of her before rummaging through her many pockets. Humming in triumph, she brought her hand up, making Ahsoka look in question. There, in Padmés hand, was a small black flash drive.

Tilting her head, Ahsoka quietly grabbed the small object and shrugged, turning back around and plugging it into the computer.

 

**Scan DNA Sequence**

**. . .**

 

The computer hummed, whirring and blinking while it accepted the new information, and Padmé and Ahsoka were still. Holding their breath, they stared as the screen went from black to white in the space of a second.

  
**DNA Scan complete.**

_Found : One match_

  
The words blinked on the screen, and both of them turned and shared a look before Ahsoka reached out her hand and clicked on the link.

There were two gasps that filled the silence. One of shock, and one of confusion.

 

**100% Match to Jedi Initiate in training, Caleb Dume**

**Age : Five Standard Galactic Years**

**Currently Located in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.**

  
“Ahsoka, re-run the DNA scan.” Padmé ordered, never taking her eyes off the words on the screen, and Ahsoka did without question.

  
**Re-running scan . . .**

**Scan Complete.**

_Found : One match_

  
She clicked on the link again, the computer reading the same words back to them as before.

  
**100% Match to Jedi Initiate in training, Caleb Dume**

**Age : Five Standard Galactic Years-**

  
“This doesn't make any sense!” Ahsoka hissed, turning in her chair to look up at Padmé. Her eyes, which had been so full of uncertainty and fright, were now showing confusion and stubbornness. She wanted to get to the bottom of this, and Padmé didn't too but she didn't know where to start.

“Yes it does…” She mumbled, her eyes finding their way back to the screen, glaring as she read and re-read the words. “Either we copied the wrong DNA Sequence, or Kanan Jarrus is not who he seems…” Padmé growled, frowning.

“But…” Ahsoka's voice gave away her uncertainty, her mind trying to find a way to process the information they had found. “...what if he actually… _somehow_ … _is_ Caleb Dume?”

“He can't be. Caleb Dume is only 5 years old.” She argued back, her voice now laced with uncertainty, Ahsoka's next question ringing in her head like a mantra.

“Then…who is _Kanan?_ ”

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

_“Where…where am I?” He mumbled, walking around the vast empty space around him. There were no walls, no floors, no buildings or trees or people._

_He was alone._

_“Why can I see?” He hissed to himself, looking down at his hands before clutching them in frustration. He had been here for a while, but he had no idea how much time had passed, only that he was surrounded by dull greyness and was walking through the never ending fog._

_It felt like he had been here for years._

_**“Kanan Jarrus…”** _

_“W-who said that?!” Kanan flinched, turning around in panic, but the voice was one he recognized._

_It was a voice from his past._

_**“Jedi Knight…”** _

_Then, suddenly, there was a rush of wind so fierce, enveloping him and lifting him off the ground while a giant being manifested in front of him, appearing out of thin air._

_Kanan sucked in a surprised breath._

_…Bendu?_

_“Bendu what…what are you doing here?” Kanan asked, only to be met with steel eyes and an unwavering glare. Looking around, he realized he was in a place he did not recognize. It was a cave, somewhere far below soil, but it was filled with enough light that he could see the massive being in front of him._

_**“It is time for you…”** He boomed, grey eyes boring into him, searching his very soul. **“…to learn.”** Reaching down, Bendu slowly spread his hand out and moved it forward, closing his eyes when a single finger touched the middle of his forehead. The touch moved him, causing his to step back, yet the appendage never left his skin. Closing his eyes, he breathed in sharply as his eyes started to burn._

_Kanan gasped, opening his eyes and stepping back as his body was filled with indescribable warmth and basked in light so bright, the cave around them seemed to disappear…_

_**“Thousands of years ago, the Galaxy was in turmoil.”** Bendu’s voice seemed to be right above him, but no matter which way Kanan turned, he could not find him or the walls of the cave that had previously surrounded him. **“They were not at war, but they were divided as people. They did not venture to other worlds, for they were too afraid of change…too afraid to change…**_

_**“The Jedi were not yet who they were-”** Images flashed, and Kanan was once again flooded with warmth as his brain showed him image softer image in fast succession. They were the Jedi of the Past, the ones of the Present, and the ones of the Future. There were thousands amongst thousands of people, and the world around them was at peace, as it should be. **“-and their philosophies even now are outdated. The people holding the ancient teachings are not willing to adapt to the present world…”**_

_**“But that is not what I come to tell you, Master Jedi…”** He trailed off, and the scenery all around him changed to chaos, and destruction. **“...for you to change the future…”** The walls started to crumble, and the floor gave way, but Kanan was stuck in a void, unable to move his body. **“...you must first know the past…”**_

** _______ **

_  
**“Long ago, the Jedi were formed as a philosophical study group and later became revered as Guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy.”** _

_**“In accordance with their philosophies of non-attachment, clothing was viewed as quite disposable, and they were often seen wearing white, tan, and even grey in accordance to the light that shone within them”** There were a group of people in front of him, but like a still picture, they were stuck in time. Like him, they were unable to move as the scenery behind them changed while they stood still. The clothing on them flashed and changed, their faces indifferent as Kanan stared on. **“Indeed, possession itself was seen as forbidden as another form of attachment, and most Jedi lived out lives of materialistic poverty, though the Order's infrastructure and the support of the Republic meant the Jedi did not lack for food, housing, or clothing.”**_

_**“As mystical wielders of the Force and of their glowing, signature lightsabers, their powers inspired awe in most of the galaxy's citizens.”** This time, the group was in front of a cheering crowd, but destruction may in the background while the citizens cheered on. **“The calm, considered demeanor of the Jedi made them ideal brokers of peace in times of conflict or dispute.”**_

_**“Yet, for all their power and diversity, the Jedi were few.”** _

_**“Often beset by foes in times of doubt and confusion, undercurrents of evil often challenged their order and the establishment they served, the most notable being the Sith.”** Now one, a older man with short hair and a greying beard, was in the front of the group, his face was twisted in an angry grimace while he and the others behind locked sabers with unseen foes._

_**“These dark warriors were the antithesis of the Jedi, their sworn enemies, and the battle between them brought the galaxy to war more…”** the scene changed, and Kanan could see all the wars that had passed through generations and hundreds of different worlds. **“...than once.”**_

_**“In times of crisis, the Sith influence could even block the sight of the Jedi Order.”** The greeting man from the last picture was shielding his eyes, his expression one of pain as the others lay dead in the background. There was fire, and blood, and a mass of twisted bodies while his eyes burned red with rage._

_**“The way of the Jedi had become the way of wisdom and patience, backed by swift and decisive action when necessary.”** Now, the people representing the Jedi were changed, a beautiful woman taking the mantle of Grand Master while her pupils bowed with blank faces. **“Because of this, Jedi were forbidden to hold strong attachments-”** There were parents now, couples crying as the woman's pupils ransacked the streets and took force sensitive babies from their mothers and their home worlds. **“-as they were believed to lead to the emotions of the dark side.”**_

_Kanan blinked his eyes and clenched his fists as the scenery changed to the same woman, yelling in fer as her lover and child were struck down in front of her, her eyes turning yellow as she jumped into action and slayed the ones at her door._

_**“For this reason, and this reason only, Jedi were not allowed to marry.”** _

_The woman, her head was bowed as she cried in her chains and dirty clothes, and Kanan, sensing what was about to happen, turned away before he could see the man beside her slice down his blade and relieve her head from her shoulders._

_**“However, the Jedi Council sometimes showed what appeared to be a lack of decisiveness, such as during the Mandalorian Wars which had long-reaching consequences, and preferred to work with events and patterns over the long term.”** _

_**“Their inaction spurred a Sith, a former Jedi, Darth Revan to fight back, and eventually led to the Jedi Civil War.”** There was a man standing in front of him, with strange markings on his face and tattered clothes before his body started to move like a mirage, and the light clothes were replaced with dark robes invaded with red. Two lightsabers were ignited in his hands, one red, and one a magnificent purple, symbolizing his turn and his power. **“In this time, to the rest of the galaxy the line between Jedi and Sith became blurred, and both sides were blamed for the destruction wrought on and the destruction of worlds.”**_

_**“But the Sith were not as different from the Jedi as History proclaims.”** There were hundreds of beings now, a divide between them in the middle of the group, split in equal parts. One side was wearing traditional Jedi clothing, full of bright colors, while the other side was wearing dark colors lined with reds. **“The Jedi colors, which showed harmony with the Force, formed a stark contrast to the antithetical Sith, who were draped primarily in black, a reputation that holds true to the blackened, charred souls of the Sith today.”**_

_**“Shunned by their counterpart and their people-”** Now, Kanan saw a whole civilization being burned in hatred, being chased out of their homes and slaughtered in the streets as their people and families were purged from the Galaxy. But, from the ashes of their fallen world, the remaining few got up, eyes burning bright as the sky's turned dark and days bled into years, swearing to seek revenge on the self-righteousness of the Jedi. **“-the Sith were characterized by their single-minded lust for power and the brutal methods they were willing to use in order to acquire it.”**_

_**“But as History fails to mention, the Sith were still humanoid.”** The scene flashed to many different beings, each of them holding either a child, or a plastered on smile, some even wielding colorful lightsabers as they fought and danced, making the natural redness of their skin look peaceful and kind despite what they truly were. **“They had thoughts, and feelings, and were often Jedi before their fall to the dark side.”**_

_**“Years passed. The Galaxy turned to war, and the humanoid species interbred with a group of exiled Dark Jedi, the ones who had fallen and turned sour, but it was not until after the rise and inevitable fall of the Sith people that the meaning of the word 'Sith' had changed.”** There was fighting, and pain, and Kanan’s head rung when sharp pain was laced through his body, feeling each and every one of the people's death at once. Billions fell during that dark time in history, and it hurt him to his very core knowing that the future of Galaxy would soon turn to this darkness again if he couldn't stop the Sith Lord._

_History repeats itself, that was one saying that always stuck with him, and it would repeat itself again if he didn't change its course for the better._

_**“The term Sith was then referred to numerous disparate dark side organizations-”** his mind was filled with thoughts of the Galactic Empire, the Sith, the Knights of Ren, the Nightsisters, and red and black and pain, and so many other symbols and people that have and would soon make its way across the stars. **“-that rose and fell over the thousands of years of galactic history. Of course, no single entity long survived the vigilance of the Jedi Knights, but even in defeat the ancient Sith teachings proved difficult to suppress.”**_

_**“Each time the Jedi Order grew complacent, a Sith cult, brotherhood, order, or empire would arise from the ashes to threaten the galaxy once more.”** _

_**“But in time, the Sith species would eventually wither and die out, and their people would not be identified by their race, but by their dedication to the ancient Sith philosophy, much like their eternal enemies…the Order you have allied with, Kanan Jarrus.”** _

_“I…I've ever known any of this…” he whispered, looking down at his hands and shaking his head. He was in a sort of sensory overload, trying to take in all this new information sto he could better understand what he was supposed to do. Most importantly, he stayed there, eyes fixated on his hands while he thought of all the lives he had saved, and all the ones he had taken over the span of his life._

_Now, trying to take in everything he was being told, only one question ring clear in his head, one he needed to know the answer to._

_Why him?_

_**“No, you have not, but that is because of the single-mindedness of the Jedi. They, like all who learn, only teach only the side they know.”** Bendu continue, obviously noticing the internal struggle in the Jedi below him, but needed to push forward nonetheless. Ever since he had met Kanan, he knew he was special and that he would be the one to bring peace to the Galaxy._

_**“Every history book you will ever read is biased, but that is the mind of humans and humanoids alike. Every single one of them is right depending on the point of view, and you should never fail to see every side of the story Kanan Jarrus. It may cause you great insight, or great pain.”** _

_**“That is what makes your disadvantage an ally.”** He hummed, waving his hand over Kanan’s face, the jagged scar forming around his eyes as his vision went dark, permanently. **“Your blindness causes you to truly see the Galaxy as it really is.”** Bendu continued, placing the tip of his finger on Kanan’s chest, causing him to see the world around him in a sort of infrared vision, but instead of heat, it was the Force that Kanan saw and felt all around him, consuming and overwhelming his mind. Here, like this, he could see what had taken root in the world…he could feel all the brightness of new souls, new people who had only just entered their life, he could see darkness that laid in people's hearts, twisting their minds until they were sick…watch as the Force flowed around, and in, and through everything. **“It causes you to feel the pain of those around you, and notice the pain within yourself without falling into the claws of either light or dark.”**_

_“I still don't understand why you're telling me all of this…” he mumbled, looking up and not really seeing anything but a light pulsating aura._

_**“You are the balance, Kanan Jarrus.”** _

_“The balance?” He wondered aloud, eyes widening once he realized he was being ignored._

_**“You have seen darkness, and you know light, but now it is time for you to become both.”** _

_**“It is time for you to become the Grey Jedi…”** _

_**“It is time for you to become……the Bendu.”** _

_“But…am I ready?” He gasped, asking the question in a mix of wonder and fear as he awaited the response._

_**“…No.”** _

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

“We have to get this information to Master Kenobi!” Ahsoka yelled, standing so quickly that the chair scraped harshly against the metal floor. The sound was piercing and loud. It wouldn't be long before someone came to investigate.

“What? No! No, Ahsoka we can't!” She argued back, turning to face the girl.

“Padmé-”

“Could you imagine what would happen I'd Obi-Wan, or even _Anakin_ , found out that Jarrus isn't who he says he is. They would be _outraged_ -”

“And they would have every right to feel that way!” Ahsoka’s voice screeched, causing Padmé to pause. She had never seen anyone this passionate before Anakin, and yet here was his Padawan, defiantly arguing with her, holding so much shock and anger that she wasn't even thinking straight anymore. She wasn't thinking like a Jedi should. “We can't keep this information to ourselves! We need to tell them. We need to tell the _Council_ -”

“No.” Her voice was strong and scolding, stopping the argument in its tracks and making Ahsoka's righteous fury quickly morph into blinding fear.

She was pacing now, the young girl, and her heart was seized with panic.

She didn't know how to process, but, neither did Padmé, but she did notice the change in Ahsoka demeanor. She had liked Kanan, that much she was sure of, and was so scared that the Jedi wouldn't make it, and now she was finding out that Kanan might not even be him. She couldn't imagine the kind of things running through her head, but she knew she had to calm her down.

“What-what if this is just some Separatist plot and they've sent him in to get information and we put our trust in him and it turns out he's just going to murder us all in our sleep-”

“Ahsoka, quiet down! You're going to get us caught.” Padmé hissed, quickly walking forward and enveloping the girl in a warm embrace.

“Padme, we have to tell _someone!_ ” She cried angrily into her shoulder, both certain and conflicted.

Padmé glared at the wall, coming to a quick conclusion.

“…I’ll tell Obi-Wan after Jarrus is moved to the Temple and has woken up. He can interrogate him then if he wants to, but…you can't tell me you actually believe he's part of some complicated plot to destroy the Jedi, can you?” She asked, stepping back and letting Ahsoka get ahold of herself. She still had her hands on the young girl's shoulders to ground her while she got her emotions in check.

“…I-I don't know.” She revealed, and Padmé nodded for her to go on. Ahsoka averted her eyes downward, as if she was ashamed she didn't have an answer. “But…Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker act different around him and the _only thing_ that makes sense is that Kanan _is_ the problem.”

“Oh, Ahsoka…” Padmé said softly, eyes relaxing while she brought her hand up to gently stroke the side of the young girl’s face, almost like how a mother would soothe her crying child. “…that's not why they act that way.” She whispered, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

Then, out of nowhere, the door creaked open.

“Shoot! I forgot about the Temple Guards!” Ahsoka hissed, and used the Force to reach out and grab the small device still connected to the access panel on the wall by the humongous entrance to the Jedi Archives. “It'll take them a few minutes to check the whole library, but we have to go _now_.” She hissed, looking around and taking the flash drive and hacking device out before shutting down the computers.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

Anakin sighed, pacing around the holo-table as Admiral Yularen tried to get in touch with Cody.

He had gone back to check and see if they were ready to transport Kanan to the Temple, and when he found out that the Doctors were still running a few tests he had stayed for a while, but after hours he grew tired and came back to keep Obi-Wan company.

Well, as it turned out, something had happened the few hours while he was away.

“Commander Cody, do you copy?” Yularen asked, leaving over the table, but he was met with static and silence.

 _Cody not checking in? That wasn't like him…_ Anakin thought, locking eyes with his Master. They showed mild concern, but that look paled in comparison to what he had seen there earlier.

“Captain Rex, please respond.” The Admiral tried again, this time linking with Rex, but he got the same response as before. Nothing.

“They should've already checked in.” Anakin sighed, bringing his arms behind his back and continued his pacing. Obi-Wan merely hiked in agreement, narrowing his eyes while he stroked his beard. Anakin was starting to get worried. “I've been gone for five hours and you've heard nothing?” He asked, crossing his arms as he furrowed his brows in poorly hidden concern.

“I'm afraid not.” His Master replied, a certain gleam in his eyes that made Anakin stiffen. He had that same look every time he attempted to say something insulting. “It seems _your_ Captain follows orders as well as you do.”

_There it is…_

“Har har.” Anakin said in a monotone voice, looking at Obi-Wan with a deadpan expression. His Master smirked in response, trying to lighten the mood with his banter. It worked, of only momentarily before they both turned and sobered up. “Perhaps _your_ Commander is boring Rex to death.”

Anakin couldn't help but parry back, his face straight and devoid of any emotion while his eyes danced with humor.

Obi-Wan smacked him in the arm with the back of his hand.

“We still need to figure out a way to find Grievous.” He continued as if he had never struck his ex-Padawan, making Anakin huff.

“Right…” he trailed off, narrowing his eyes. Obi-Wan was always the one to jump head first into work, but this time, Anakin would follow him right into the pool. “Admiral, let me know if you hear from Rex.” He said, bowing to the older gentlemen while he and his Master turned to leave.

“Of course, General.”

 

 

_____

 

 

“Anakin…” Obi-Wan sighed, crossing his arms as he followed in a leisurely pace. “Why are you leading me away from the giant room where we make our battle plans?” He asked, patiently awaiting his response. When he got none, he sighed, stopping in the middle of the hall they were currently in. “Anakin.” He said firmly, crossing his arms.

“Yes?” He called back, still walking with a delicate smile on his face.

“Where are you taking me?” He asked, and Anakin’s steps faltered before stopping completely.

“You need to see him before we go.” Was his only response before he turned the corner.

Obi-Wan breathed out shakily before he straightened his back and followed after him.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

_**“It is time for you to leave this place.”** Bendu sighed, closing his eyes and getting into a meditative position._

_“What?” Kanan asked, confused. “Wait, what about the rest of my training? How will I meet you again?”_

_**“This was only the first test. You've passed.”** _

_“What about what's next?” He barreled on, desperate to know more. “I still have so much to learn-”_

_**“Yes-”** Bendu interrupt, opening his eyes to glare at Kanan despite the fact that they were both blind. **“-and learning takes time.”**_

_**“This was merely an introduction to what you will become. The next part of your training is a lot less simple than you getting hurt, Kanan Jarrus. First, you must open both doors.”** _

Open both doors?? _He thought to himself shaking his head._ What does that mean?... 

_There was a sudden pain behind his ears, making Kanan nearly bow over, and when he finally managed to right himself, the massive Force used had disappeared._

_“Bendu?” He called out, turning around and listening for any sign of him. He found nothing, and he didn't even startle when there was rumbling in the ground and the space around him seemed to shift._

_“Bendu!” He tried one more time in panic._

_He…he couldn't breathe._

_It feels as though he's being choked underwater, and Kanan tries to hold his breath for as long as he can, but he can't hold it forever. Breathing in a greed gasp of air, he closes his eyes and, is plunged into searing, painful light._

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

Walking into the room was strange.

There were doctors flying around, buzzing like bees as they finished their testing and prepared their comatose patient for departure.

But for some reason, he felt peace.

Kanan from what he could see, was no longer a pale body streaked with red. His skin color had returned, his burn scars were gone and had healed completely, and the heart monitor beeped steadily in the background of the noise going on all around the room. For all intents and purposes, he looked like he was just sleeping, and Obi-Wan took in the strong rise and fall of his breathing.

He wasn't sick, he wasn't dying, and most importantly he was _safe_.

“You scared me, my friend.” He said softly, walking up to the unmoving form. “I was certain you weren't going to make it.”

The confession was hard to make, and for some reason it made his heart stutter with pain, but he brushed aside the feeling and moved to sit down while the doctors filed out behind him to give him some privacy. There was no need for them to do that, but it still gave him a small amount of comfort.

“Yet, here you are.” He continued, letting out a weak chuckle.

_He's going to be fine…_

Looking away from the limp form of his friend, Obi-Wan locked eyes with Anakin, giving him a small smile.

Over the years, he had grown accustomed to seeing Anakin in the hospital. He was crazy, and reckless, and every bit the rebellious Padawan that Obi-Wan never wanted to deal with, but as much as he hated it at first, he had grown used to it and cherished those moments because it meant that Anakin had come back from those battles _alive_.

In truth, most of the wounds he got weren't even that bad, but the fear of him being admitted always got to him, but this time…this fear that struck him hit him _hard_.

He didn't know why.

 _Search your feelings…_ he told himself, relaxing his shoulders as he looked over at Kanan.

He looked like he was sleeping, and in a way he was.

The doctors that were performing the last minute testing to see if he was stable to make the jump to hyperspace had uncovered him. He had wires sticking out of him, leading to machines and charts while he dreamed on in his coma. His body, although intact, was littered in old scar tissue from old wounds that never healed quite right, like a vast living tapestry of near-misses and fights.

There were two specific scars that caught his attention though.

Near the right side of his ribs, there was a very large scar that was in the shape of a humongous bite mark. It spanned nearly the full length of his upper torso, like an animal had tried to eat him. The other scar, though smaller, was still terrifying to look at.

It looked like some twisted, sick, monster of a person at one point in time in Kanan’s life had shoved talons into his sternum, and started to twist and claw its way into his skin. The scar pinkish and raw, like it was still healing and was about the size of his hand. It was placed right on top of where his heart was.

Either someone had tried to literally tear his heart out, or he had been caught in a nasty explosion of some sort and that was the skin too damaged to properly heal.

It had probably been from the explosion that he experienced back on the Malevolence.

“Anakin.” Obi-Wan called, motioning him to come forward. “Look.”

“Yeah, that scar is pretty nasty.” He hummed, face contorted in a ugly grimace as he gazed at the scar. “It looks new.” He said, a surprised lift in his voice.

“I think it's from the explosion he got caught in back on the Malevolence.” Obi-Wan responded easily, stroking his beard in confusion. “I thought all the scars would be gone with the treatment.”

“Well…they did have to do surgery on him.” Anakin tried to reason, eyes roaming over the rest of Kanan’s motionless body and taking in all the scars littered across like a map of his past. “They've managed to stabilize Jarrus enough so they can transport him, but they're probably going to continue the Bacta Tank treatment back at the Temple.” Was the only thing he could come up with as he hovered his hand over the hot skin. Jarrus’ scar was giving off steady amounts of heat, like it was trying to fight off infections.

“Master Skywalker…” a nurse said from the doorway, quietly interrupting their thoughts. Anakin turned, facing the Clone and nodded to him with hardened eyes.

It was time to leave.

“I have to go, Obi-Wan.” He said, looking to his Master with a small smile. “Don't get into trouble while I'm gone.”

Obi-Wan nodded with a small smile, said his goodbyes, and left to go find Admiral Yularen.

 

 

_____

 

 

“Captain Rex, come in.” There was static coming out of the speakers, and Obi-Wan’s chest twinged with worry before he reigned his emotions in and stepped back up to the holo-table. “Commander Cody, are you there?”

He got the same response.

“General, there's still no response.” Admiral Yularen spoke as if he’d been mildly disappointed, and turned to look at him with a frown. Obi-Wan looked to the side in thought, crossing his arms over his chest while he stroked his beard. It was a nervous habit of his, one that neither his Padawan nor neither of his friends had ever picked up on, but he always found himself running his fingers through the short hairs whenever something wasn't going as planned.

“What about the all-clear signal? Is the base still transmitting?” He asked, snapping his fingers lightly to himself.

“Yes, sir.”

“...if something was wrong, Cody or Rex would contact us, but…” he shook his head, his mind wandering back to his first conversation with Anakin that day. He had been searching for Kohvan, and to a lesser extent, he was also searching for Grievous. He doubted that an Inquisitor would go after a few CT’s, but something was coming up short. It had to be interference, even if everything was showing up fine.

“What is it sir?” Yularen pried, leaning forward in curiosity.

“Something doesn't feel right…” He mumbled, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. For the trouble Anakin and his Clones were worth, they had never come up short when it came to their programming. If they said they were going to check four hours ago, they were going to check in. “…sound the invasion alarm.” He decided, leaning forward to brace his arms against the table.

“We have to get the fleet over there.” His voice was strong and sure, not wavering despite the anticipation of a battle hovering in the distance

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

“Okay Ahsoka…breathe in…breathe out…” she told herself, pausing to follow her own instructions as she walked along the long hallways in search of her Master. She had met back with the fleet a few hours ago, trying not to be suspicious as she forced herself to act natural. She had a feeling it wasn't working as well as she thought. The Clones passing her that would usually greet her warmly were giving her confused looks. “Just…breathe…”

Despite what the Senator - ahem - _Padmé_ had told her, she felt uneasy keeping something like this from Anakin. He was her Master, she looked up to him and he _needed_ to know about Kanan.

 _No!_ Her traitorous brain whispered to her. _Not Kanan. I have to call him Jarrus._

Her stomach rolled at the thought. She had gotten attached to the man fairly quick even though she had never really shown it. He was different than the other Jedi, and he embraced his emotions like she longed to, but now she had to keep her distance.

 _“Ahsoka-”_ the voice of her master was faint through the comm, but she lifted her wrist to her face regardless. _“-the transport is about to take off in a few minutes.”_ his voice crackled through the device, and she took note that he sounded crankier than usual. She supposed it was fair he felt that way. Anakin was impatient, and they were supposed to head for Coruscant nearly 12 hours ago.

“I'm on my way Master!” She exclaimed, trying to put her usual amount of enthusiasm in her response. She wasn't sure if it worked, but Anakin didn't respond so she guessed it came out like her usual self.

 _I don't know how long I can keep this in…_ She shook her head, Master Yoda’s words ringing like alarm bells in her brain.

_But if I don't tell someone soon, I'm going to suffer for it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was actually pretty hard to push out! I had a lot of trouble trying to get everyone's perspective of things, but I really like the way it turned out.


	14. Fanning the Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the display of cowardice by Grievous, the crew cheered in excitement. They had gotten the drop on him, and he had fled the system, successfully saving every living Clone on the planet below, but Obi-Wan didn't cheer with them. He could feel the death emanating from the outpost below, and although Clones did survive, he was saddened that it wasn't many.
> 
> Everyday, Clones, men lost their lives for the cause, and the ones that didn't lived to die another day. It was one step, one battle at a time, but which Battle would be the last? How many men would be gone and passed when that time came. 
> 
> Would it ever come?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another kinda mini chapter to show you that I'm not dead! 
> 
> It's definitely long enough to just be considered a regular chapter, though it's not as long as the last one. (Hence the 'kinda mini')
> 
> I'm very sorry about the late post. My life had been really busy, and I've been trying to catch up on everything since I took a last minute vacation just after my last update. For me, it's really only been two weeks, but with everything going on I haven't had the time to write. 
> 
> If that paragraph saddens you, I hope this next sentence won't. 
> 
> I AM NOT ABANDONING THIS FIC. 
> 
> I've put too much into it, and I love writing it, but I've taken a few hits and it's taking me a little to get back up. Hopefully, the next update won't take as long, but it's going to be a long chapter to make up for this short-ish one, so get ready for it.

Anakin tapped his foot absently against the metal confines of the ship. Due to the rules and regulations for transporting a patient, he couldn't fly the ship, which meant that he was currently sitting next to Kanan.

It wouldn't take them long to get to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, only about 45 minutes to an hour, but he always got jittery when someone else was flying the ship he was in.Granted, these people were flying as quick as the laws allowed them to, which was pretty fast for a medical transport, but he couldn't help the twitching and the constant shifting.

Apparently, neither could his Padawan.

Anakin took the moment to assess what he was doing. Ahsoka had never really cared whether or not he flew, and seemed to encourage it because it was a ‘learning experience’ in her eyes, but the whole flight she was being unusually jumpy. Every time he would catch her eyes, she would purposely avoid his gaze, and every time he started a conversation she would spew out clipped, few-word answers and ruin the mood he was _trying_ to lighten.

It was…tense.

He had never seen her like this. In the few short months she had been his Padawan he noticed that she was a lot like him, which meant, if he remembered his teen years correctly, that Ahsoka was conflicted about something. She obviously wanted to tell him, he could see it in her eyes every time he managed to hold them for longer than a fleeting second, but for some reason she wouldn't come out and say it.

 _Maybe it's because of the other people in the room?..._ He thought, humming to himself as he crossed his arms and studied her face, watching as her eyes kept flickering to their comatose companion. _...Or maybe it's because of Kanan…_

“Ahsoka.” He decided to call out, watching as her head jerked upwards. “Come over here for a second.” He insisted, kindly smiling and patting the seat next to him. He checked how she hesitated, and breathed in deeply before getting up and walking to the seat next to him. Raising his brow, she smiled crookedly at him before attempting to get comfortable on the cold metal chair.

“There's something bothering you.” He inquired softly, chuckling under his breath when she tensed. He wanted his posture to be relaxed to show her that he wasn't upset, but his laid back demeanor only seemed to heighten her senses.

“I…” She stuttered, closing her eyes before taking a deep breath and straightening up. “…I have something to tell you, Master…and I don't know what to make of it.” She confessed, holding his concerned gaze before focusing her eyes on her fidgeting hands.

“…It's about Jarrus.”

Anakin felt his body suddenly tense.

There was a thickness in the air that wasn't there before, and the feeling of electricity all around the room. Meeting the gaze of one of the Clones, he gestured them outside with a mere bob of his head, and one by one, they filed out of the room until only he, Ahsoka, and the comatose Kanan Jarrus were the only ones left.

“What about him?” He asked, putting what was supposed to be a comforting hand on her shoulder, and while her body did relax, her face twisted up in confusion.

“Padmé and I were…” Anakin's eyes widened at the name, but he let her continue without interruption. “...we had talked to one of the doctors that was treating Master Jarrus on the base, and he half told us that he couldn't find records of him anywhere in his system.” She huffed out shakily, crossing her arms and turning her head away. Anakin, in the meantime, his mind was reeling and brimming with questions. No records? That was nearly unheard of. Even the slaves in the most dirty, crime-ridden backwater planets had records of birth or ‘previous employment’ and they were basically, in the eyes of their masters, not even _people_. To have no records…you had to be a _ghost_. 

You had to have just...not existed. 

“We thought it was weird, and she convinced me to help her _brmmintothmmmufmmnm_ …” Ahsoka started mumbling, putting her arm over her mouth and turning away, but he _needed_ to know what she had said.

“Ahsoka, I can't hear you with your arm over your mouth.” He chastised gently, prodding the information out of her like a patient father would to his child.

She hiccuped, turning to him.

“I helped her break into the Jedi Archives on Coruscant.”

He reared back in shock, his hand tightening on her shoulder before he consciously relaxed it again. She could get _kicked out of the Order_ for doing something like that, but he couldn't help mentally praising her for not getting caught.

“We tried…” She shook her head, bringing a hand up to stroke one of her tendrils. “...we tried looking him up, but we found nothing, not even birth records…and when that didn't work, we tried searching his DNA and there was a match.” She emphasized the last words by raising up her pointer finger and looking at him with wet eyes. “...but I just…don't understand, Master-” she whispered shakily. “-and Padmé _told me_ not to tell you, but you _have_ to know and I just, _I can't keep this in Skyguy - I just can't-_ ”

“Ahsoka-” He said firmly, grabbing her shaking shoulders and adding stability to her small frame. It centered her, which helped calm him, but after this whole predicament blows over, he's going to have to teach her how to properly meditate. Keeping emotions in like this wasn't healthy, and in a battle it could get her _killed_. “-who was the match to?” He asked, making it sound like an order. She might calm down enough to tell him if he ordered her to tell him. Besides, he was curious to know who, or maybe what, Kanan was. He had always known the blind man was hiding something.

Maybe…this was it.

“Jedi Initiate in Training, Caleb Dume.” She mumbled, but Anakin heard her loud and clear in the small room. “Current age…5 Standard Galactic Years old.”

He breathed in, gasping loudly into the quiet room, and behind them, Kanan Jarrus slept on.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

Obi-Wan stalked into the bridge as the crew around him got ready for the jump to hyperspace. It was tricky business, jumping in head first, especially for him. He had never been one to rush into danger without knowing the full picture first, yet here he was, acting on a gut feeling.

For some reason, he just… _knew_ that their Clones were in trouble - his, Anakin, and Kanan’s.

 _They're not just our Clones…_ He thought, shaking his head with a frown _…they're our comrades. Our brothers…_

It wouldn't take long, the jump, only a few hours at most, but in the balance of life and death, a few hours could be fatal in a war. A few hours could mean extinction, and he could feel in his bones that a few men had already been lost.

 

 

_____

 

 

“Sir-” a trooper greeted, bowing in respect before resuming his sentence. “-you have an incoming transmission from Senator Amidala.”

 _Padmé?..._ Obi-Wan questioned, frowning at his thoughts. They were great friends, and had been for many years, but she hardly ever called him _…I wonder why she called so suddenly…_

“...patch her through to my private channel.” He nodded, straightening himself before walking over to his own separate war room near the front of the ship. He could be at the front within the minute, but this room was usually designated for short, private transmissions like the one he was currently receiving.

Clicking a few buttons on the small holo-projector on the desk, he stood and waited while Padmé glitched and fizzled before completely materializing on the small device.

 _“Obi-Wan…”_ she smiled, crossing her arms at him, and he smiled back in kind. It wasn't a formal message, going by the tone and the lounge clothes she was wearing, but her voice carried a type of heaviness he couldn't quite place. _“...it's nice to see you alive and well.”_

“It's nice to see you too Padmé.” He answered in kind, smiling gently at her. “Although I was quite shocked to hear that you were calling.”

 _“Yes, I know. It was a last minute decision.”_ She chuckled, and the twinkle in her eyes made him smile fondly at her. She was not that much younger than himself, but sometimes he forgot just how _young_ they _actually_ were. _“Quite honestly, I wasn't going to call you until you were back at the Jedi Temple.”_

“Oh?” He questioned, surprised. Padmé was the type of woman to have everything planned beforehand. Even her spontaneity had a plan once she got into the rhythm of things. To see her so… _unsure_ …well, it had him worried.

_“There are a few things I've been meaning to tell you, but I admit I don't feel comfortable saying the specifics over a call. Do you think we could meet once you make it back planetside?”_

“Of course.” He readily agreed, nodding at her with a serious expression. “Anything for you, my friend. I'll comm you once the mission is over.”

_“Thank you, Obi-Wan. I'll have one of my handmaidens send you the coordinates to my estate on Coruscant in the meantime.”_

“Very well. Until then, my friend.” He waved, bowing to her over the small projector. She smiled.

_“Until then. May the Force be with you.”_

“May the Force be with you.”

 

 

_____

 

 

“General Kenobi, we’re almost at the Rishi Outpost.” Admiral Yularen bowed as a greeting, immediately informing him about the situation at hand. Obi-Wan nodded in response.

“What's the status?”

“Multiple unidentifiable ships are skirting the planet's atmosphere above the surface of the base.” He said with a frown and a thoughtful expression. “We're unable to get a good look since we're still a few minutes out, but if the intelligence report is correct, it's some of Grievous’ ships.”

He took a moment to think, stroking his beard before he spoke. “Ready the weapons. If it's Grievous, we’ll be ready for him.” Obi-Wan ordered, leaning back where he stood. Grievous was smart, and there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to be the one trying to take over the outpost, but he couldn't figure out why.

General Grievous was brash, and quick to anger. A great strategist, but he could always be found in the middle of a fight. The fact that he was hiding and making a quiet route was strange, but it only further solidified the thought of someone else pulling the strings backstage. Dooku was his superior, but even he spoke of a Master, so that must mean that this plan was not his own.

The Droid General, one of the best adversaries the Jedi had ever faced, was nothing but a pawn in this deity’s chessboard.

Quickly rounding back to the front of the bridge, Obi-Wan focused on the clouds of colors swirling around the viewpoint as they exited hyperspace, but his eyes were quickly drawn to another target.

“Fire!” He yelled, noticing Grievous’ cruiser immediately. Surrounding his massive ship was a small fleet, and Obi-Wan mentally cheered at his luck. They were facing the side of the Separatist ships, which meant that not only was the Droid General unaware of his rescue, but completely vulnerable to attacks. His shields were down, and weapons weren't charged, and he made sure that he and his men took every opportunity they could.

The space above the planet reigned with explosions and blue cannon fire.

“General, the cruiser is retreating!” He heard one of the Clones at the helm exclaim in joy, and true enough, instead of the ships facing them and charging their weapons, Obi-Wan watched in silence as they turned the opposite direction and fled into enemy space.

 

 

 _____

 

 

After the display of cowardice by Grievous, the crew cheered in excitement. They had gotten the drop on him, and he had fled the system, successfully saving every living Clone on the planet below, but Obi-Wan didn't cheer with them. He could feel the death emanating from the outpost, and although Clones _did_ survive, he was saddened that it wasn't many.

Everyday, Clones, _Men_ , lost their lives for the cause, and the ones that didn't lived to die another day. It was one step, one breath, one battle at a time...but which Battle would be the last? How many men would be gone and passed when that time came.

Would it ever come?

“General Kenobi.” A deep voice said behind him, bringing him out of his thoughts. Turning to face it, the older Jedi was met with the face of Yularen.

“Admiral.” He greeted, bowing his head at him.

“We've made contact with the base.” He replied, bowing back, and Obi-Wan nodded in response and turned, moving to the communications console nearest to him.

“Cody?” He asked, not sure as to which clone would respond to his voice, but smiled none the less when he heard his friend's voice on the other side.

_“General Kenobi, it's good to hear your voice.”_

“Likewise, my friend. How are things on the surface?” He asked, and there was rushing static, like wind blowing through the speakers.

_“A bit blown up, but I blame Rex and Riot for that one.”_

There was a faint, unanimous _“Hey!”_ in the background by said Clones, followed by he and Cody’s chuckles before he narrowed his eyes.

“Report.” He ordered, hearing a deep sigh and some static before the Commander's voice filtered through once more.

_“We've lost quite a few men. Only a handful of rookies made it. Grievous sent scouts to secure the base so Separatist ships could enter Republic space undetected. Us and ours managed to give them the boot, but most of the base and a lot of our men were lost in the process.”_

“We’ll give the rooks a proper funeral later.” He replied after a moment of silence. “For now, I'm sending a shuttle to pick you up. I want all of you to get cleaned up in medical and have your reports sent to my office within the next few hours.”

_“Yes sir.”_

“Oh, and boys?”

There was silence on the other end as they waited for his response.

“I'm glad you're all okay.”

_“You're not going to get rid of us that easily, sir. Cody, out.”_

The room around him was silent, and Obi-Wan, ever gracefully, placed his hands on the console and leaned down, cracking his back with a quiet groan before he stood back up, and straightened his shoulders into their default position.

“Grievous targeted this base specifically, and he almost got what he wanted.” His voice boomed in the room, echoing off the walls and drawing the attention of everyone present. “He’ll double back sooner or later, so I want cruisers making regular patrols in this sector for the next three weeks as a precaution while we rebuild.”

“Yes sir.” They cheered unanimously, and with a frown, he turned to the Clone nearest to him.

“Contact the Temple in the meantime. I need to make a report on the situation and have a crew sent here for immediate reconstruction.”

“Yes sir.”

There was a shift in the Force.

Something was brewing in the horizon, and he could feel it in his bones, but he could do nothing except gaze out the viewport with concern.

He feared the worst was yet to come.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

“You said…” Anakin gasped, eyes widening. “...are you _absolutely_ sure-”

“We ran the test a few times because it just…it _didn't make sense_ …” his young Padawan stressed, shaking her head in confusion while her eyes shone with concern and uncertainty. Anakin, not wanting her to put pressure on herself or give the issue too much thought, brought his arm around her shoulder and brought her into a hug.

“It doesn't make sense unless…” The _‘Unless he's like me…’_ was left unspoken by him, but the words rang through his mind nonetheless. “...I'll figure this out Ahsoka, I promise.”

“You're not…angry, Master?” Her voice was hesitant, and small, like she had expected to get chewed out over the issue even though it wasn't her fault.

Well, the breaking into the Jedi Archives was her fault, but he was willing to let that slide for the moment.

“I'm…I don't know.” He ended up confessing, backtracking once he realized how it must've sounded. “I'm not angry at you! Well, I am for you breaking into the Archives, but I'm more proud you didn't get caught.”

“Really? What about…” her eyes flickered to Kanan’s body, and he shook his head with a frown.

“I don't trust him.” Anakin decided to ignore her scoff, and just kept talking before he could lose his train of thought. “Granted, I never fully have, but I'll do my own investigation. The files for him may be locked, requiring a certain clearance to access and I want to make sure I have the full picture before I go accusing him of anything.”

“What? Don't give me that look.” Her dropped, blank face merely intensified. “I can be level-headed when I want to be!” He argued, scoffing at her rolled eyes.

“Suuure…”

Anakin laughed at her pinched, disbelieving expression before he turned and looked back at Kanan, a thoughtful glare now on his face.

Suddenly, the heart monitor starts to spike, and three nurses and a Doctor barge in a moment after. Anakin got up quickly, allowing them passage to the machine before gesturing Ahsoka to the door.

“Wait outside, Ahsoka.” He says firmly, not looking at her but grateful all the same when she obeys. He didn't want her to be in here if things went south.

“Sir! I need you to calm-” The nurse, knowing that he couldn't hear him in his comatose state, still chose to speak in a soothing tone, but it was for naught. Just as quickly as he had entered the room, he was thrown against the wall by a very powerful Force-push, and was knocked out instantly, falling limp to the floor.

“Hold him down!”

“Get the syringe, we need him steady or else the stitching on his sternum will tear!”

“Wait-” Anakin boomed, holding his hands up to placate the remaining rushing nurses, but they didn't listen to his warning. Kanan was still asleep, but whatever he was seeing obviously wasn't pleasant. Then, without warning, the blind Jedi’s back arched painfully, eyes and mouth opening to horrifying levels before he slumped back down and stilled while the room around them began to shake.

The heart monitor to the side of him, which had been recording his _waaay-too-fast_ heartbeat, leveled out to a reasonable pace, but his body stayed put. But the lights started to flicker, and the walls around them started to cave in and groan under the pressure, under the Force of his control.

“What's happening-”

“The door is jammed!”

“We need that Valium-”

“Wait-” Anakin tried again, raising his voice once more, and sighed when the conscious Clones looked towards him. “-I think I can help.” He said calmly, eyes hard with determination. If Jarrus kept…whatever this was, up, the whole ship would look like a giant piece of scrap and kill him and everyone else in it.

The two nurses in front of him ended up looking to the CMO on board, and Anakin decided to lock eyes with him as well.

They stared at each other, neither of them blinking or backing down until the Doctor let out a long-suffering sigh, dropped his shoulders, and nodded.

No words needed to be said. Anakin merely nodded in thanks and made his way to the top of the bed Kanan was currently arched on.

He moved the chair closed to him, placing it at the head of the bead before sitting down in it, and reaching his hands out. He let them hover over the blind man’s temples as he concentrated.

 _‘Clear your thoughts…’_ Obi-Wan’s voice rang in his head, the teachings coming back to him full force from the adrenaline rushing through his system. _‘This is a very dangerous method, and if done wrong, can harm both your mind and the mind of the person you're reaching.’_

 _‘You have to clear your mind of all things.’_ He had told him, and Anakin had listened with the same attentive intensity he had given to all the classes he was taught. _‘Whomever they are should not feel anything but a comforting presence as you search through their mind, and after they let you though, do **not** open your mind in return.’_

_‘Why not, Master?’_

_‘The mind is a dangerous place. It's vast, and strong, and extremely powerful. If you open your mind to the one you're searching, memories can get intertwined, parts of your past can be wiped from existence, and in some cases, can cause death.’_

_‘But what about when I hear your voice in my head?’_

_‘When that happens, I share my thoughts, feelings, and directions to you.’_

_‘Sharing? Is it not the same, Master?’_

_‘Sharing and searching are two very different things, my young Padawan.’_ Obi-Wan had said, looking right into his eyes to see if he was listening. Anakin's eyes were laced with confusion, and uncertainty, and he knew he would have to or it in a way that 11-year-old-him could understand. _‘Think of sharing as a bridge, and our minds as two opposing forests on either side of it. We can send and receive messages and thoughts by passing on the bridge, and can return back to our separate minds with little to no trouble at all. Searching goes beyond the bridge. You enter the other person's mind, searching with a torch to light the way through the forest, but if you make one wrong move it’ll catch fire. Their mind will be lost, and you will be stuck, surrounded by the fire you've created.’_

Anakin shook his head at the memory of the lesson. He was about to walk into the forest with fire, and try to find a way to wake him up. If he made one wrong move though…

Anakin shuddered at the thought, his shaking unseeable to the naked eye.

It would be really bad if something went wrong.

He had to make sure that didn't happen.

“I need everyone to be as quiet as they possibly can.” He stated out loud, looking everyone in the eyes and waited for them to nod in understanding. “What I am about to attempt is very dangerous, and I cannot be disturbed in anyway. Do I make myself clear?” He asked the room at large, and huffed when they nodded in response.

“How long until we reach the Temple?” He asked, fingers twitching as he looked at the Doctor.

“Two hours, sir.”

Anakin sighed, moving the chair forward to get more comfortable. He was going to be here a while.   
  
“Let's hope that's enough time.” He mumbled, closing his eyes and bringing his fingers to Kanan’s temples.

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

_The presence around him was not one he was used to. It was dark, and musty, and everything around him smelled of smoke, but Kanan could hear the crackling of the fire or feel the heat on his face. He had no idea where the smell was emanating from, but the smell was sickening and charred._

_“Hello.” He called out, his voice echoing in the space around him, but still, there was only silence._

_The light he had felt when he had been pushed out of his mind by Bendu was gone, and now only darkness was upon him. Not the natural darkness from the dying of the day, or the welcoming darkness he had when he opened his eyes, it was a cruel darkness, filled with pain and suffering._

I have to get out of here… _he thought, reaching his hands out to feel for his surroundings, and was unpleasantly surprised when his fingers brushed against the rough bark of what felt like a tree._

_He recoiled in shock, and screamed in agony as the quick movement sent waves of searing hot pain throughout his body._

_Panting in hurt, he backed away, turning sharply to try and get a read as to where he was, but his mind was met with silence, and then filled suddenly with ice-cold dread. He knew nothing of this place, he knew nothing at all except that the Force that usually sang inside him had gone missing._


	15. Braking the Habit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey…” Anakin started to say, reaching out a hand to console the youngling, but the boy flinched and started running before he could do anything else. “H-hey, wait!” He yelled, literally sprinting into action as he tried to follow the boy, but damn was he fast.
> 
> He tried following after him, but he lost sight of him within a few minutes of him giving chase. When he managed to slow down and catch his breath, he tried a different approach.
> 
> He listened, and waited.
> 
> Closing his eyes, he started to walk forward, trusting that the Force would lead him in the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a whole month since I've updated this, and I'm so sorry about that! I've been in a writing slip for the longest time and I wasn't able to get more than 6K words out, which was about 10k less than I planned for this chapter so in order to get the creative juices flowing, I've been writing other stories. 
> 
> It'll probably be a while before I update next, but I didn't want to leave you guys for another few weeks while I figure out my shit so, unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) you're getting an unfinished chapter. 
> 
> Yaaaaay ? 
> 
> As all you writers out there know, writers block is a bitch. 
> 
> I'm really sorry about this, but I just can't leave all you beautiful people out there waiting.

Okay… _Anakin thought, looking around the dark scene in front of him. He had no idea as to where he had retreated to in Kanan’s mind, but it was most definitely a forest setting like his Master had told him all those years ago._ …This is freaky…

_“Where am I?” He wondered aloud, walking through the fog. He had come into this land with an old fire lamp looking thing instead of a torch, so he had that to be thankful for at least. He had no idea what the thing he was holding were called, but he knew he had to be careful. If he dropped it, it could be dangerous._

_In his mind, he just decided to call it a lantern, to make things easier._

_Bringing the fire closer to his face, he stuck his arm out into the fog in front of him and looked around. There was a path in between the trees, twisting and winding, going further into the forest in front of him._

_“Well…” he huffed, turning back to see that the floor was blank, devoid of any clearing. Taking a step forward, he looked back once more, only to find that the foot that he had gained in this winding road had disappeared. “...I guess I have to go forward.”_

_He took a few more steps, just to test his theory, and was unsurprised when he turned around to see no path behind him._

_Somehow, Kanan knew he was in here, and for some reason, he wanted Anakin to find him._

_Breathing in, Anakin stepped forward, and just kept on putting one foot in front of the other until the lush, dark green forestry around him just turned…dark. He went in deep, never tiring, and always searching for that sliver of light that was Kanan._

_He wasn't sure how long he was in there for._

_It felt like hours had gone by._

_“This is getting me nowhere…” he mumbled angrily to himself, storming down the path. Frustratedly, he rubbed at his eyes, and while they were closed he kept walking a few more steps until he heard a loud CRUNCH._

_Looking down, he frowned. Anakin had stepped on a fallen leaf, which shouldn't be unusual for a forest, but when he finally picked his head up to look around, he noticed that the winding path he had previously been following had disappeared completely._

_“Fuck.” He hissed, swiveling his head around while he tried to get his feet to stay straight. He had been walking mindlessly, not really paying attention to where he was because he wasn't technically somewhere. Now, he wished he had been paying attention because there was no path beneath his feet, and he had no idea how long there hadn't been one there._

_“Where am I supposed to go now?” He asked out loud, but got nothing in response except silence and a small breeze._

 

_______

 

_There was a rustling in the trees, like a haunted, locked memory from Kanan’s past was about to be unleashed._

_Stepping forward, he squinted his eyes, hoping to find the source of the movement, but there was no wind, no chirps or clicks from any type of animal, it was just a silent type of stillness that surrounded him._

Come on Kanan… _he thought, looking around._ …give me a sign… _breathing in, Anakin closed his eyes, and waited._

_The rustling was closer this time._

_Snapping his eyes open, he looked around frantically only to see-_

_There was a small, purple Loth-cat by his feet._

_He had only been to Lothal once in his lifetime. It was a few months after Obi-Wan had taken him as his Padawan. He doesn't remember what they had gone there for, the memory was old and fleeting even a few days after it had originally occurred, but he remembered rushing off to play with the other kids. He had ran and chased, playing like he didn't have a care in the world._

_Eventually, after finding out that he was a Jedi in training, the boy he was with, Ephraim if he remembered correctly, had issues a challenge. If he could catch a Loth-cat, Anakin would've gotten a shiny new part he could've used to fix one of the many junked ships at the Temple. His dad was a shop mechanic that liked fixing old ships and making them look pretty, so Anakin had readily agreed, and had chased Loth-cat’s all afternoon with his new friend._

_He never managed to catch one. Obi-Wan had found him before he could, and just as quickly as they had gotten there, Anakin had to leave the beaten, old planet._

_Now, there was one right in front of him, just sitting there and staring at him._

_Had Kanan Ben to Lothal? Apparently so, or else why would there be an odd, intelligent looking cat staring up at him._

_“Do…” he started to ask hesitantly, clearing his throat. “...do you want me to follow you?”_

_Then, as quickly as the little animal could,it bounded off._

_I guess so… he shook his head, taking after then small animal. It had stopped about 30 feet in front of him, always keeping the distance whenever he started to follow._

_And follow he did, off the beaten path, just until he came across something peeking out through the trees._

_Light._

_This whole time, Anakin had been shrouded in darkness, but now dawn was upon him, illuminating the mall clearing he had stumbled into._

_It was…_

_It was a tomb?_

No… _he thought, stepping closer to the stone and looking around it._ …it's not a tomb…it’s a door.

_“It's a giant, monolith of a stone door in the middle of an eerily quiet forest.” Anakin mumbled to himself with a frown, stepping over roots and fallen leaves so he could walk up to it. The Loth-cat that he had been following trilled, before circling around the stone and disappearing behind it. “...I’m guessing I have to go in there.” He frowned, stepping closer so he could run his hand over the words armed into it. “What could possibly go wrong?”_

_It didn't have a date. No year of birth, or death._

_All it said was ‘Caleb Dume’ and above that was a quote. He wasn't sure where it was from, but it struck a chord in him. It made him feel…sympathetic? No, that wasn't the word…_

_It made him understand._

 

**Be the silent watcher of your thoughts and behavior.  
You are beneath the thinker.  
You are the stillness beneath the mental noise.  
You are the love and joy beneath the pain.  
But always remember who you are.  
Always remember who you were before.  
And always know who you have become.**

 

_Honestly, Anakin didn't think the quote came from a person, but the words were powerful and ever present, like it was made to be a reminder._

_Pushing the words, he found that the stone had moved forward slightly._

_He put the lantern down, carefully making sure that it wasn't close to any greenery before he turned back to the large door, put both hands on it, and pushed with all his might._

_It looked like an catacomb. All around him, stacked up and molded into the walls were skulls. Most of them looked human, others looked different, but they were all lined up on top of each other. In respect for the dead that surrounded him, Anakin said a silent prayer and closed his eyes in sorrow before walking back out, grabbing his lantern, and moving forward._

_He didn't dare touch the skulls that surrounded him._

 

_______

 

_As he kept walking, Anakin eventually ended up in front of a door. Opening it, he scowled._

_All around him was dull tan sand and large desert fauna surrounded by a seemingly endless sea of nothing. It was desolate, and lonesome. No trees, no people, no signs of life besides the large, rocky plants on the horizon._

_“Of course…” he mumbled angrily. Stepping forward, he started to look around the landscape, but jumped when he heard a loud, ear shattering THUMP._

_Twisting around, he squinted his eyes in confusion. There was a storm bellowing in the horizon, but more importantly-_

_The door was gone!_

_Sighing in displeasure, he turned back around ano began to move forward. There was no time to be surprised, or try to figure out what happened to it. He had to move forward and find Kanan._

_He felt like a castaway._

_He felt grimy, dirty…_

_He felt…distressed._

_Everywhere he looked reminded him of tatooine, his home planet. The fauna was different, but it was the same heat, the same endless sand, the same scorching desert. The large sun that loomed above generated the same feeling as the twin suns from home, and he didn't appreciate the reminder of his life before Obi-Wan. Maybe it was insanity from the pain the memories brought that made him sense a presence lingering, but when he focused on it, he felt a strange hum call him to the trees in the distance._

_He started walking._

_He would achieve nothing if he just stood where he was, so he decided that if he had to do something, he would follow the path Kanan had set for him, even if he himself couldn't see it._

_In this bone-dry basin of vastness and heat, Anakin, for the first time in his life, followed without complaint._

_Well, he complained about the sand._

_It got everywhere, and with the heat and the Jedi cloth surrounding his torso, he knew if anything he had to take off the armor on his chest and undo the long sleeve. Everything around him might just be a figment of another man's imagination, but the heat felt as real as it ever did in the world outside. At least here Master Windu wouldn't complain to him about ‘tradition’ and “you have to wear it, Anakin.’_

_Even after he took it off, he still had the base layer of a white long sleeve shirt on to protect his arms from the sun while he took the tunic and tied it around his waist._

_Ah, sand…_

_"If anyone asks me what my greatest enemy is, I'm going to say sand…" he grumbled to himself, internally scowling at the dirty sweat rolling down his face. "…It burns at your feet, stings your eyes, gets in every crevice, and acts as a surrogate for pain because nothing else makes my head hurt as bad as this…"_

_He had been walking for a while._

_Then, the humming that had steadily been rising suddenly grew silent. As he reached the trees he had seen in the distance before. Well, trees seemed like an understatement._

_The fauna was huge. It was jagged and rough like the terrain, like a forest of murderous rocks, except the boulders were leaves and the plants radiated ‘calm’ like an oasis. It wasn't pleasant to the eyes, but Anakin's senses were singing praise._

_“Hello?” He called out, voice echoing around the plants. It didn't make any sense whatsoever why his voice would echo as much as it did, but he just waved it off as some Force mumbo-jumbo while he moved around one of the giant trees and stumbled across a clearing. “I know you're here. I feel your presence.” He boomed, voice traveling far once more._

_The ground started to tremble as the tree he had just walked around started to rise from the ground._

_**“Ah, you heard my call.”** The creature spoke, and Anakin trembled and fell to his back as he tried to scramble away. He had never seen a creature this big before, not one that could talk anyways. “Good. Your imbalanced woke me from within.”_

_“Imbalance?” Anakin splutters in response, the word nearly incoherent. He was still on his back, tense and ready to leave at a moment's notice. There was sand all over his arms and back now, be he ignored it in favor of craning his neck to look the being in the eyes and-_

_Huh…_

_He's blind…just like Kanan…_

_**“Your presence is like a violent storm in this quiet mind.”** It (he?) responded. Anakin shuddered. It was unnerving how the creatures eyes could follow his movements, and how the foggy grey of its blindness looked like it could see so much._

_Focusing on what it had just said, he carefully moved his body so he was kneeled in front of it, looking up into its eyes as he focused. This was where the force signature had disappeared to, and if Anakin was right, they had something to do with it. “You're the Force wielder, but…” He started after a moment, gasping in wonder at the strength that this being held inside, it was a wonder how he wasn't completely crazy by now. “...you're not a Jedi.”_

_**“Wielder? Hmmm…”** The giant being shook his head, and leaned forward so his hand were touching the floor like a gorilla. **“Jedi and Sith wield the Ashla and Bogan, the light and the dark. I am the one of few beings in this vast universe that lies in the middle, the Bendu.”** Jerking back, Anakin watched with wide eyes as the Bendu leaned forward and looked down at him, as is he was studying him. **“What do you call yourself?”**_

_“I…” he hesitated. Should he give this powerful being his actual name? He (it?) was much stronger than Anakin, and could easily overpower him if he chose to but…he was in Kanan’s mindl. Did him being here with Bendu have any significance in the natural world, or was he also just a construct within the blind man? Did the consequences that Anakin made here move with him when he got out? Would either he or KAnna even remember all this when it was over?_

_There were too many questions._

_“I am Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight.” He decided to go with the truth. It was a vast universe, and he may never meet a being like this in reality. As much as he was here, he knew the Bendu was a separate entity from the blind Jedi, and was neutral to war and chaos. He had to take the opportunity and learn from them because he may never get this chance again._

_**“You are in the mind of one Kanan Jarrus, are you not?”** The Bendu questioned, leaning back and relaxing into the sand. He swirled his head, looking around the barren landscape that surrounded them before nodding._

_“I am.”_

_**“...You carry conflict with you Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight”** _

_“It's because of him.” Anakin responded easily to the accusation, agreeing. There was no use of lies in here, it would only cause chaos._

_**“Ah!”** Bendu’s voice was full of excitement and wonder. **“Interesting…”**_

_“I think…” Anakin’s voice cracked, and he took the time to clear it before starting the sentence over again. “I think he's dangerous.” He mumbled, unsure. Everyone had the potential to be dangerous, even Jedi, but there was something about Kanan that made the hairs on the back of his neck sand on edge. Maybe it was because he was flowing with energy. Maybe it was because he wasn't being entirely truthful. Or, maybe because it was because he was hiding something big._

_Whatever it was, it made him uneasy._

_**“How so? He is no different from you or I.”** It was an innocent question, but the way that Bendu phrased his next statement made him question something…_

_How could he, or Kanan, be like the Bendu? How could they be like each other._

_The answer was right there, lingering in the back of his mind, forming on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't decipher the answer. Instead, Anakin barreled on._

_“I feel troubled whenever I'm near him. My Padawan has found something about him and I'm afraid it's changed her.”_

_Bendu took the time to study the man in front of him._

_Anakin Skywalker carried conflict with him wherever he went. He was a particularly troubled individual, and he had been his whole life, and the problems from his youth subconsciously shaped him to be mistrusting to almost everybody. To a point, it was also his Masters fault. Obi-Wan had tried his best, but unlike the other Masters, he had went from teen to dad literally overnight, and though he tried his best, he was not yet ready to be a Master himself after losing his own so quickly._

_Taking care of the boy (now turned man) in front of him had kept him from turning sour and bitter. Anakin had given him someone to care for. Someone who was intelligent and witty, yet young enough for his mind to be molded and to be taught. True, when he started his training, he was nearly a decade behind all the other students, but he was smart, gifted like the others were not._

_If only he had not seen what horror these worlds had caused._

_Being born into slavery had twisted his mind, and though being a Jedi helped turn him to a powerful young man, the moments he had spent as being a pet did terrible things to the mind. At that age, he should've been at the temple with the other younglings or playing in the dirt as a normal child would, but as horrible as it seems, Bendu saw that being what he was also made him a better Jedi than most._

_Anakin knew compassion. He knew pain, and heartbreak, and anger. He knew…_

_He knew._

_Him seeing what he did, him going through what he did made him more than a great man...it made him a good one._

_Yes, he would often get passionate about certain things, but he cannot help his humanity. Being trained like this had given a colorful mind purpose._

_Bendu could see the conflict in his soul, all his wrongdoings that had pulled him to the dark in the past. Love was the common factor in all those things, it was what kept him in the light during his times of darkness._

_If only he could see what greatness could come out of him if he allowed himself to channel the energy and emotions he kept bottled up, and used them as a conduit for his power. It would help him let go of the pain, but more importantly, it would make him see that pain was a necessary part of life._

_It would make him realize that one could not be a Jedi if you did not have compassion_

_**“A person cannot make you good or bad.”** He decide to say after his moment of study. Kanan had already learned how to be who he was while drawing from both sides of the Force. He would be a good companion to Anakin in the battles to come since they were more similar than they realized. **“Temptation and great power, forbidden knowledge, sometimes even the desire to do good may lead some down that dark path. Only you can change yourself.”**_

_Focusing on the man once more, he gently probed his mind, and stumbled upon a great discovery._

_Jealousy was a powerful thing for a mind. If it could enter one as strong as his, it could kill, but this wars not a natural Jealousy, no…_

_An outward force had entered here, given him the suggestion from afar when his mind was weakened ever so slightly. What he was feeling was fueling the anger inside of him, and had caused a raging storm. He knew in the back of his mind that it was wrong, and was trying to fight it, though by doing so it only added fire to the flame._

_In his mind, due to the suggestion that had been planted, fire met gasoline._

_**“...ah...your conflict becomes clear.”** He mumbled to himself, shaking his head as he tried to clear the storm inside the human below him and changed the subject to something more agreeable as to not raise suspicion. **“That device in your hand. Why do you have it?”**_

_“My Lantern?” The question was slightly incredulous, and it made Bendu chuckle. He knew what the object was, but one had no use for it in a mind like this. It would only cause unnecessary chaos and besides…it was only a figment of imagination hives to him by himself. “It helps me see.”_

_**The Force help you see, child-** Bendu thought, shaking his head. **-not the lantern you hold…**_

_**“May I see it?”** He wondered aloud, the thought nearly escaping his lips. He should not be interfering. Anakin Skywalker had to do this on his own without help. The lantern would only hold him back and prevent him to see._

_Bringing the lantern to his face, he squinted at the heat it was emitting. It was not hot, only further signifying its insignificance, so he did what had to be done._

_He broke the lantern._

_“H-hey!” The human below him screamed, jumping up in surprise. It was because of his Master that he thought he needed it but, well, parents don't always know what's best for their child. “What did you do?!”_

_**“I am helping you.”** He obviously stated, but Anakin only grew more frantic as he tilted his hand and the pieces fell to the sand._

_“It's the only thing protecting me from-”_

_**“It's protecting you from yourself.”** He boomed, and Anakin yet again stepped back, aghast. **“You believe that finding Kanan Jarrus will help you see what he truly is, but you too must learn to see things differently now.”** The Bendu continued, dismissing the Jedi’s indignant spluttering._

_**“You are unwilling to learn, and more unwilling to forgive. If you do not learn, you will be lost.”** He stated plainly, boring holes into the young man. He was speaking the harsh truth, but being what he is, and what he represented, this child needed to see that not everything is as it seems. To trust is to verify._

_Unfortunately, Anakin Skywalker is not a trusting man._

_**“Your path is unclear as the road ahead, but Kanan Jarrus can teach you how to see if you're willing.”** The giant being leaned back, sitting up straight to make himself look intimidating. It would be easier for Anakin to remember, but also, it was his time to go. Being what he was, he was not supposed to interfere in accordance the the ancient rules, but the Bendu could not sit and idle while the galaxy falls to ruin. It's not in his nature to interfere, but it is his job to equate the balance._

_And, if the galaxy falls to ruin a second time, he and his children would be lost, doomed to live within the Force forevermore, just like his first child within the Force. Years ago he had taught the man everything he knew, and now, he was a construct so powerful that he could retain his consciousness within the cosmic Force. He would play a major part in the shaping of the future of the galaxy…_

_The first Grey Jedi Knight, Qui-Gon Jinn._

_His first student…_  
  
**“If you cannot accept the change in your life, it will spiral out of control, and you will be taken down a road you cannot come back from Anakin Skywalker.”**

_“How can I trust him?” It was an innocent question that had escaped his mouth, not full of malice, but simple confusion._

_**“The same way you can trust yourself.”** _

_“...I don't know how to do that.” Anakin whispered, looking down at his hands. Ever since his mother died all those years ago, Anakin hadn't been the same. He could no longer trust himself in the way that he used to, so how was he expected to trust a man he didn't know._

_He had to have faith…_

_It was too simple of an answer to accept it as truth._

_**“Yes you do.”** The words were soft, and kind, a vast difference from the tone he had been using just moments before **“Go forth on your journey. Leave this place behind. Trust in all things, for all is as the Force wields it to be.”**_

_The winds around him that had been nonexistent merely second before started to turn, and the sand that covered the clearing started to spiral around the giant being and engulf him completely, until only his eyes could be seen glowing through the whirlwind._

_“Will we ever meet again?!” He called out, hoping to be heard above the loudness of the wind. The glowing white eyes blinked a few times before closing completely._

_**“The next time you feel my presence, it will be in the comfort of your own mind, but only after you close your eyes and see.”** _

_Anakin coughed and brought his arm up top shield his eyes from the wind. Opening his eyes once the wind and sand dispersed, Anakin looked around and cursed._

_Bendu was gone._

_Taking a moment to compose himself, (and to shake off as much sand as possible) he shut his eyes and angrily muttered to himself._

_“What in the name of the Force is that supposed to mean?”_

 

…oOo…

 

 

Obi-Wan hadn't been back on Coruscant since before Kanan got hurt, but now he was here standing calmly in front of Padmé’s door, waiting for her or one of her workers to open it.

It wasn't often that she used this house for anything except official business, which had left him confused when she had asked him to come here as friendly company. He doubted that this visit was going to just be a cup of Caf and breakfast, but he would not assume otherwise until the moment actually arrived.

The door opened, but it was not a butler or handmaiden like he had expected. It was Padme herself in front of him.

“Hello, Obi-Wan.” She greeted warmly, stepping aside and waving her arm out. “Please, come in.”

Despite his efforts, Obi-Wan couldn't stop his eyes from drifting. He had never been inside of Padme Amidala’s Coruscanti penthouse. Almost absentmindedly, he noticed the difference between the two of them.

A Jedi’s life held little comforts. Their quarters were fairly sized (meaning they were not too small, but big enough, and had enough room for a simple closet and a barely-comfortable bed, and a small bathroom, only big enough for one person, but other than clothes and personal grooming items, Jedi usually had no way of self expression. Everything they felt would be meditated on profusely, and everything they didn't feel was like dust in the wind. They had no luxuries in life, they really didn't need any, but they lived off of what they had because that was the Jedi way.

That being said, people like Padmé Amidala had no such qualms.

But, she wasn't like many of the other people in her position either.

She was much like the Jedi in the way that she was, he supposed. Although her home was full of luxuries beyond what he could comprehend, it was relatively…empty. There was no emotion, no personal items or signs of living in the house besides the few pictures and cluttered kitchen. She held herself above everyone, and to the public eye she was adored by billions, but in reality, she only wanted what was best for the people, even if it meant knocking herself down a peg.

It was admirable, in an odd sort of way.

Many people, even he, looked up to her despite her small stature because she was truly larger than life.

He couldn't help but think that in this very moment, she looked rather small.

“Good evening, Padmé.” He replied with a warm smile. “I will admit, I did plan on coming over much earlier than I did, but I had some rather pressing matters to attend to.”

“Paperwork?” She asked with a teasing tilt in her voice and a smile. Huffing in amusement, he responded.

“Unfortunately.”

“I can relate. There was a gathering yesterday, and my mind is still reeling.”

“Oh?” His smile dimmed, but he made an effort to focus on her words. Politics wasn't his thing, it just didn't interest him as much as people thought, but he didn't want to seem impolite.

“Lasan has been having trouble with the Separatist lately.” She explained, leading him to the living room and offering a seat, which he gladly took. “The people are scared, and their global Senators aren't faring much better. For the moment, they remain our allies, but I fear it won't be that way much longer.”

She paused, looking away from him and waited for the handmaiden that had just walked through the door finish bringing out a tray full of tea and various snacks.

“You cannot pass judgment based on your fears, Padmé.” He responded, nodding in thanks to the young woman as she motioned to leave before turning back to his friend. “Those decisions may not have good consequences.”

She sighed, moving a loose strand of hair away from her face. “I know-” she responded carefully, her voice heavy. “-but Lasan is one of the Republic's biggest allies, despite the fact that they've been relatively neutral in the actual war part of everything. They haven't made a move with their armies, but they also haven't done anything. Don't get me wrong, they have helped, but it's been small and fleeting, things we could've done ourselves…” she shook her head, her brows scrunching up as she spoke and Obi-Wan could do nothing but watch as she ranted.

“...and to top it all off, there's been multiple rumors that they’ll recede from the Senate entirely.”

The living room was basked in silence with that last statement. Lasan was an enormous world who have always helped in any way they could, but ever since the war started they had been absent.

Their people were not one of war, and chaos hardly thrived on Lasan. Being a part of this war was tearing their people apart, and nobody had any idea on how to resolve the situation, the Separatists invading and bothering them only worsened the matter, which meant action needed to be made because if they didn't do anything…he was afraid there wouldn't be much left of the world at all.

“That won't be good.” He frowned, shaking his head as another thought entered his mind. “If anything, it's more likely that the Separatists are bullying them into submission.”

With another heavy sigh, Padmé shook her head at him. “This situation will only end up worse if we do not resolve it now but…” her eyes flickered to him, and then down to her wringing hands.

“This is not why you called me over, is it?” He asked, leaning his head down to look her in the eyes.

She blushed, but didn't disagree with him, and merely looking away when he raised an eyebrow at her questionably. “We could use the Jedi’s help to resolve the matter. Maybe you could send one of the more…relaxed Generals to help aid the Senators and ease the people's minds.” She tried to steer the conversation into her own lane, and though he could've quickly derailed her, he just let her continue on her train of thought without interruption.

“I will speak to the Council on this matter. I trust I'll be able to not withhold information?” He questioned with a smile as he sipped his tea.

“Hmmm…” she pretended to think about it, chuckling at him and shaking her head. “Just this once, Obi-Wan. I don't need people thinking I've gone soft.”

“No, we couldn't have that.” He agreed playfully, making her snort into her tea. It was dreadfully un-ladylike, but it caused them both to giggle afterwards.

It was nice, seeing her like this, but even he knew that the moment wouldn't last. Soon, the quiet grew heavy, and her fleeting glances turned into outright staring as she asked a simple question.

“...How has Jarrus been holding up?”

All the air rushed out of him.

That was the big question now, wasn't it?

Logically, he knew they all had a right to be worried, but no matter how they insisted, he never wanted to talk about it.

“He just finished his Bacta Treatment on Kaliida Shoals.” He forced the words out, and cleared his throat uncomfortably. “He's stable enough to be moved to the temple. Anakin has told me that he thinks they'll resume the treatment there since he's not fully healed.”

“He's not?” Padmés eyes widened in disbelief. “Stars, it's been nearly 10 days now, hasn't it?”

“It has been.” He agreed, nodding at her worn down words.

“That poor man…” she mumbled, sipping her tea absently. “Obi-Wan, there's no easy way to put this, but he's actually why I called you here.”

“He is?” He asked, confused.

“Ahsoka and I have found something about him that's very…interesting, to say the least.”

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

_Anakin trudged forward._

_Shortly after the Bendu had disappeared, a door had shown up and the desert around him had faded away into the forest he had been in before. He didn't question the mystery, but instead, walked forward to the door before opening it._

_This time, instead of harsh sands, it was soft winds and a field of grass that greeted him._

_It was a nightmare._

_There, across fields and plains of grass, bodies laid motionless on the ground._

_They were splattered with blood, limbs severed off, some without heads or half their bodies._

_And every. Single. One of them were littered with blaster shots._

_Anakin, gagged, turning away from the nightmare, only to come face to face with a young boy with a Padawan's braid behind his right ear. His eyes were wide and full of fear, his breathing shallow as he shook silently. He looked like he wanted to cry, but none of the tears would come._

_“Hey…” Anakin started to say, reaching out a hand to console the youngling, but the boy flinched and started running before he could do anything else. “H-hey, wait!” He yelled, literally sprinting into action as he tried to follow the boy, but damn was he fast._

_He tried following after him, but he lost sight of him within a few minutes of him giving chase. When he managed to slow down and catch his breath, he tried a different approach._

_He listened, and waited._

_Closing his eyes, he started to walk forward, trusting that the Force would lead him in the right direction._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is either going to be a two part chapter, or I'm going to update it later and add more to it, but I hope you guys like the unintentional cliffhanger. 
> 
> I had originally planned for Kanan to wake up in this chapter, and for a lot of other things to happen, but I just...for some reason my words won't write and my brains all jumbled and I've been so tired.
> 
> You guys might not get another update for a while, and I'm sorry about that. I've been trying to get my mind working by writing other fics, so hopefully it won't take too long to spit out another chapter, but cross your fingers and wish me luck. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this mere 6K words though.


	16. Godspeed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin’s starting to see the big picture and Obi-Wan’s gets himself involved in some serious shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d like to apologize for not posting in so long! 
> 
> I just got a new job a few days after my last update and it’s been taking up so much of my time. I’ve been working in the mornings every shift and I’ve been so busy at home I hardly had time to write. I hadn’t even had writers block or anything, I just honestly had no time. 
> 
> Thankfully this last two weeks have been slow and I’ve managed to crap it a couple thousand words, but it’s nowhere near how long I wanted this chapter to be. This is kinda just so you guys know I’m not dead or anything! :P 
> 
> Anyways, this is just a mini-Chapter like before, but I hope you guys like it! I’ll try to keep updating as regularly as I can! 
> 
> Again, sorry for that wait!

_Never once, did Anakin ever stumble._

_The ground beneath his feet was firm and unyielding, allowing him to walk comfortably, even with his eyes closed. It didn't matter that he didn't know where he was going, the road felt familiar to him either way._

_Taking a deep breath, he found himself flinching at the smell. He knew what it was, so he didn't even bother opening his eyes._

_He had assumed that the bodies would go away, but acrid smell of urine and feces was overwhelming as he walked forward._

_Taking a risk, knowing he shouldn't be doing this, he moved to open his eyes, but was immediately shut down with a sense of wrongness so strong, he had to force himself to keep moving forward. He didn't know who he would see, but he didn't want to find out._

_He heard the soft pitter patter of feet against the concrete, going down an empty corridor._

_Turning, he followed the sound until the scenery changed and he wound up in a clearing with an old, rusty freighter. There, he moved a little closer and found that the sound of footprints belonged to a young boy with…a Padawan braid? That was odd._

I wonder where his Master is? _Anakin thought, watching with a confused and curious frown._

_They were having some sort of argument, and although he should've been able to hear what was going on, he couldn't see anything past their lips moving. No words reached him from his vantage point, and yet, he could still follow the conversation._

_The boy wanted to leave, and the man was obviously a smuggler, which meant that in this war torn city, it was the only way he'd be able to get out undetected. The man had offered him a deal which the boy was refusing, but Anakin could tell that he was highly reconsidering. If he were him, he would've jumped at a chance to leave, but even then he wouldn't want to go without Obi-Wan._

_Maybe that's why the boy was so hesitant on leaving. He was young, probably Ahsoka’s age, and his Master wasn't with him. He kept glancing over his shoulder, but the streets around him were empty._

_Whoever was with him was probably long gone by now…_

_Anakin shook his head and moved from his hiding spot behind a few crates._

_Jogging up to the duo, he brought his hand up to show that he meant no harm, but before he could say anything, the boy whirled around, anguish in his eyes._

_Then, blaster fire came from behind._

_He turned, shock written on his face. He was a little too slow to react properly since he couldn't hear, so he went down with a wound in his shoulder, but the boy was quick and was taking down their attackers before his back even hit the ground._

_He screamed in time with the youngling._

_Blinking away the haze of pain, Anakin sat up, coming face to face with-_

_“...Clones?” He mumbled, eyes wide and hazy with confusion. These were his comrades, and they were trying to kill the youngling in front of him but…_

_Why?_

 

 

…oOo…

 

  
  
Padme mentally sighed to herself while she watched Obi-Wan slowly pace around her condo. She had just broken the news to him only moments before, and he had been lost in his thoughts and pacing ever since.

Granted, it’s not like anything in the situation made sense, but she would’ve liked a response out of him, something other than silence.

 _Stars, I’ve gotten so used to Anakin that I expect Obi-Wan to act just like him…_ she thought to herself with distaste. Obi-Wan was her oldest friend, and he had never been one to act out, even in his Padawan days he was more reserved but she had grown so accustomed to the antics of her husband she had nearly forgotten that not everyone was a s passionate as him about such trivial things.

But, going by the look on Obi-Wan’s face, it would do him good to vent.

But how to make him open up? He was a very reserved and quiet man, especially about his private life, often times she even wondered if he had one, but sometimes when they were talking amongst themselves he would slip up and reveal a tiny sliver of his past and it felt like she had seen a light cracking through his shell.

Unfortunately, those little glimpses of him were far and few in between.

Now, she could do nothing but watch as he sorted through his feelings himself.

He wasn’t outraged, when she had told him, but was calmly startled. When she explained what she and Ahsoka had done, she had been scolded like a child, and after that he had just been reduced to this.

Pacing.

She hated it.

“Obi-Wan, I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for all this-”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it.” He interrupted, and she sighed again, this time aloud.

“Could you at least sit down?” She asked in a calm tone, smiling softly when he nodded. “Thank you.” She hummed, reaching out to pat his knee reassuringly when he sat back down on the couch.

“...this requires further investigation…” He started out, testing the words as he said them. Padme stayed quiet beside him. “...I’m not sure I want the full council involved-” He continued with a frown, “-but I will have a few trusted friends look into it.”

This time Padme frowned.

“You won’t look into it yourself?” She asked, trying to mask her surprise and failing, eyebrows raising with her question. She watched in amazement as he shook his head and stroked his beard.

“As much as I would like to, I don’t think I should.”

“Why is that?”

“…just a feeling.”

She hummed in thought, leaning back and crossing her legs while she brushed a few stray hairs from her face. Breathing in, she opened her mouth to start another conversation, hoping to get his mind off of things, but was interrupted by his comms cracking to life on his wrist.

She watched patiently as he brought it up and answered the call.

_“Sir.”_

“Cody, what can I do for you?”

 _“There’s been several reports of Separatist attacks on Bothawui.”_ He said, pausing for a brief second before contributing on with his report. _“General Skywalker is currently on route to Coruscant to drop of the medical transport. Do you want us to alert him of the situation and re-route after the drop off?”_

Obi-Wan strikes his beard and furrowed his brows, quickly glancing at Padme before nodding to himself. “...Bothawui is in my sector, and Anakin is busy. I will go to assess the situation myself.” He replied calmly, bowing his head at the Commander.

 _“Yes, sir.”_ Cody bowed before saluting and ending the transmission.

“I’m sorry Padme, but-“

“You have to go?” She finishes, laughing quietly when he got up and smiled. “Let me walk you to the door.” She held out her hand, and he nodded at her and reached out to grab it. Helping her up from the couch, she rested her hand on the crook of his elbow while they walked in silence to the door.

“We’ll have to finish our conversation later, my friend.” He said, shoulders tensing slightly when he turned to her.

She smiled tightly at him and nodded her head.

“Have a safe trip, Obi-Wan.” She responded, “And may the Force be with you.”

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

_Anakin got up, brushing the dirt off of him as fast as he could and rushing after the boy. He didn’t get far before he opened a door to an abandoned house and found himself in an empty hangar._

_Well, nearly empty._

_Turning around quickly, he saw that there were no clones, but the same Padawan as before._

_Except, now he wasn’t a Padawan._

_The braid was cut from his hair, and his robes had changed into a too-large long sleeve shirt and cargo pants, and his lightsaber was no longer on his waist, but instead there was a blaster in its place. His brown hair was long and shaggy, and his green eyes were bright and carefree as he loaded cargo onto the rusty freighter he had seen only moments before._

_And, the man he had been talking to before wasn’t a man at all. He was a male Kalleran. Anakin recognized him from a brief article he had seen on the holo-net months before, but he didn’t remember his name, only that he was a smuggler._

_He frowned at the sight._

_Getting closer, he watched as the Kalleran male ruffled the ex-Padawan’s hair and walked away to get more of their “incoming shipment,” the teen walking into the ship as he did so._

_Anakin followed behind him, somehow knowing that what he was seeing was a memory and that the teen- a young Kanan Jarrus- could not see him in return._

_So, he watched in silence as the boy rearranged the crates for a while before retreating to his room and turning on the radio. For a long while, he listened to nothing except the holo-net, and Anakin zoned out during this time. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but he snapped out of his daydream when he realized that Jarrus had started staring intently at the little speaker by his bunk._

_It was an emergency signal sent out by the Jedi Temple. He didn’t have enough time to actually listen to it before Jarrus ran from the room in search of the Captain smuggler._

_Chasing after him once again, he stayed on the ramp and watched as they started to argue like he had seen before. Unlike before, Kanan was headstrong and defiant in his yelling, but the smuggler was relentless, refusing to bring the boy back to Coruscant. He supposed that from his point of view it was the right thing to do. If a marked smuggling ship got anywhere near that sector they would be arrested on sight, and if Anakin were the Kalleran, he wouldn’t want to risk it either._

_“I wonder why he didn’t go back to the Temple after the clones attacked…” Anakin hummed to himself, watching as the teen angrily stomped his way back onto the freighter._

 

_______

 

_The next thing he knew, it was nighttime, and Jarrus was sneaking out of his room like the rebellious teenager that he seemed to be, but instead of playing hookie with his friends, he was making his way towards a smaller ship in the same hangar as the Kalleran’s freighter._

_Sensing what he was doing, Anakin smirked and furrows his brows. Kanan didn’t seem the type to rebel so obviously, and taking a ship was not a quiet feat, especially when the crew he had associated himself with were criminals. It was a dangerous game he was playing, but Anakin wasn’t convinced he wouldn’t have done the same exact thing had that been him in Kanan’s place._

_Opening the door to the cockpit, Anakin say himself down in the co-pilot's seat right as the ship hummed to life._

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

It wasn’t long before Obi-Wan found himself back onto his ship and was being debriefed about the situation his Commander had briefly informed him about.

And what a situation it was.

The planet, Bothawui, was in ruins and millions of people were dead.

He wondered why he didn’t catch wind of it sooner.

 _“One of our most recent losses was the battle group at Falleen.”_ The deep voice of Jedi Master Mace Windu said as he frowned at Obi-Wan’s form, _“Currently, a Separatist group reportedly led by Grievous is headed your way.”_ He finished, waiting for the other Jedi to reassure that he had heard him before continuing. _“There’s no way we can confirm that the Droid General is the one leading the attack, but either way you’re outnumbered.”_

Obi-Wan nodded and walked around the large holo-table in front of him, taking his time to respond to his friend. It was a terrible situation he was putting himself in, but he needed the distraction more than anything right now, and if he could focus on the battle, hopefully it would take him out from his head for a while.

“Going into a situation like this seems unwise to begin with,” he responded with a frown as he continued to pace for a moment. “-but if we run Separatists will take control of this sector and we can’t have that. .”

 _“It’s an impossible situation,”_ Mace agreed with a grimace _“-but you’ve made out of worse.”_

“Right you are my friend, and unlike Grievous, I-” he rested his hands on the table in front of him while he responded with grim satisfaction, meeting the eyes of his long time friend. “-have a plan.”

 

 

**...oOo... **

 

 

_It wasn’t long before Anakin and Young Kanan we’re back on Coruscant, but at this point, he wished he hadn’t come back._

_The planet was in flames._

_Millions were dead, and the temple had been burnt out and caved in, still smoking at the center while (what Anakin assumed were) the remaining Jedi were chained together and were dragged to the courtyard via the Clones._

_He still didn’t know what was going on when they landed in a nearby clearing._

_It didn’t click in his head that what he was seeing was mass genocide until all of the people he had grown up around, Masters and children and temple younglings, were brought forward and shot in the head without a second glance, and kept being shot until they were no longer moving._

_Anakin, only a few hundred yards away looking down upon the scene, slammed into the ground. His head was swimming with something akin to fear while he crawled away from the scene and started puking._

_Master Plo was down there, but…_

_Wasn’t he also still alive?_

_There was no way that had happened, but he could feel the blood rushing out of their bodies as the bile rushed out of him._

_There was no way that had happened. Master Plo was alive with Obi-Wan and his Force signature was as strong as it ever was, but yet he was also here and not breathing and blaster wounds were surrounding his body like death greeting an old friend._

_What was the truth?_

_It was impossible, he reckoned, that Kanan has seen this horror in his youth but had grown up and lived to breathe the same air as the ones below them._

_It didn’t make sense._

_It couldn’t…_

_This couldn’t have happened, to the Jedi, to Kanan, to his friends! But it did, and he had looked at it happen…_

_And he could do nothing to stop it._

 

_______

 

_His head ringed and his eyes burned, and for a moment, his body felt like it was floating in the air until reality came back and his stomach was heaving up stale air._

_When he brought up his head, he and Kanan were back with the Kalleran smugglers and thieves. The sun was setting on the planet, meaning nearly a full rotation had passed since he and the teen had left their wandering eyes. Now, all of their eyes were on them as they returned._

_There was more yelling, and a bit more fists in this argument, and Anakin watched with a horrific sense of detachedness before the Kalleran swung his arm wide and Kanan fell to the ground like a sack of dropped meiloorun’s._

_He stayed there until morning came, and by the time he had shaken off the numbness in his limbs, everyone and everything except the ship he had taken to go to Coruscant were gone._

 

_______

 

_This time, when Anakin blinked, Kanan had went from a lost boy to a man. He had a goatee, and the baggy clothes he had been wearing were worn and grown into. He was still tall, and lanky, but his face had hardened in a way that screamed that he had seen war and that he was not a man to be trifled with. His posture was easy and relaxed, and on his hip sat the blaster that the smuggler had given him instead of that weapon that had branded him a survivor of a great purge._

_He was glorious, and older but still young enough to find who he was with a beautiful light green Twi’lek pilot with sparkling eyes and a sense of humor._

_He watched them banter, he watched them fight, and he watched with a bittersweet smile as they fell into the same bed every night._

_But their love didn’t last._

_Kanan, always a Jedi at heart, had pulled away, but she had stayed with him, and somewhere in between Anakin watched their love turn to fondness and burn into a fierce protectiveness that even a blind man could see._

_They still loved each other, but they had grown apart and together in a way that lifelong friends would, and Anakin honestly didn’t think it was because of the strict rules and teachings the Jedi had instilled in the man, it was just the fact that their live changed._

_He had felt sorry and ashamed that he couldn’t give her what she had wanted, and she didn’t blame him because she had felt the same. They clicked like a puzzle piece, like broken parts put together to make something whole, and that’s all they were._

_A family._

_It only grew from then on._

_The puzzle pieces grew, the broken parts turning into a well oiled machine with the gain of every member._

_It started with the Lasat._

_Kanan and the Twi’lek has found him after (what Anakin had learned along the way, the Separatists had turned into-) the Empire had purged his planet in a breath of fire. He was a good man, a better soldier, but more importantly, he was alone before Kanan and his partner had found him._

_They had brought him in, a lone survivor, a member of a now endangered species, and they had nursed back his singed flesh until fur had grown back and his smiles weren’t grimaces._

_Next, was the Mandalorian girl. Not quite an adult, not quite a child, she too had left a planet in ruins, except she had been the one to make it that way with her clever hands and sharp mind. She had been exiled, shamed, and cast out by her family, only to fall into the arms of this one._

_Kanan had become a father to her, because she needed someone to care for her and he was a sucker for strays._

_And whenever she had a nightmare, he was the first to go to her and whisper soothing words into her hair, and when she had painted her armor and reinvented herself, he didn’t stop supporting her. He helped her grow into an independent woman, one capable of taking care of herself without anyone’s help. Sure, she would get mad, but she would always come home to them all._

_She stayed that way, tough as the outside of a starship, even when the young boy from lothal had worked his way into their crew._

_And that, it seemed like, was the final puzzle piece._

_This boy, his son, his Padawan, had made Kanan who he was, and Kanan in turn had turned that boy into a fine young man._

_Anakin watched on with a smile._

_But everything couldn’t always be happy._

_Every now and then, chaos held the reigns._

_He watched in silence as Kanan’s world turned to darkness and ash._

 

 

…oOo…

 

 

Obi-Wan tapped his fingers on the railing in front of him while the ships got into position behind the planetary rings of Bothawui.

Usually, his ex-Padawan would be accompanying him on this type of mission, but for some reason he hadn’t responded to his transmission. He was in this one alone, with only the Clones as backup.

It wasn’t going as bad as he would’ve thought.

Maybe that’s because Anakin isn’t here… he thought to himself with a smile.

He didn’t have to wait long for Grievous to show up.

“Sir.” A Clone said to him clearly, standing to attention.

“Yes, what can I do for you?” Obi-Wan responded, nodding to the Clone he had previously been talking to about product shipments they were due to receive back on Coruscant. It was barely work, so he could deal with it later after the mission was over.

“We’ve picked up Grievous’ ship on the scanners coming behind the asteroids like you predicted. Do we send our fighters now or when he’s close enough for a full frontal assault?”

Obi-Wan stared, thinking about his next plan of action.

“Send out the fighter’s.” He finally said after a moment of silence. “Inform Gold leader that I’ll be joining them, and to be ready to fly in T-minus-10 minutes.”

 

 

_____

 

 

“Gold squadron, make a slow approach and try to draw in their fleet.” Obi-Wan said into the comms as he piloted his flighted towards the Droid General’s cruiser. “We need to get them out of the asteroid belt.”

There was a concerned series of beeping and whirring from outside the jet.

“Don’t worry Artoo, Grievous is falling right into our trap.”

_“Resolute Command to Gold leader, we are in position and ready to fire.”_

Obi-Wan chuckled at the eagerness in the Clones voice. “Patience, my friend, is key.” He responded, smiling at the huff of laughter that echoed through the comms.

_“Enemy closing in to Zone 4… Zone 3… Zone 2…”_


	17. All of the Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin is probably losing his mind...just a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are going to simultaneously hate and love me for this. 
> 
> This chapter is entirely focused on Anakin’s Force Journey. It’s short, and bittersweet, but the end is near for his Kanan mind bonding time. Im planning on having him be pulled out and Kanan waking up soon, so you have that to look forward to And this too keep you up at night. Happy Turkey Day (if you celebrate that sort of thing) and ENJOY!!!

_“Force…” Anakin gasped, taking a step back. At first, he didn’t know what he was seeing, but as the events flashed before his eyes, the words that Kanan had spoke to him in solitude came back to mind._

**“…about six standard months ago, me and my son got a emergency signal from a distant planet. Me, him, and a friend of mine decided to check it out. We had just lost a few ships, we thought it might not hurt to look.”**

**“When we arrived, the planet was desolate. It was dark, and cold, and completely empty. There wasn't any signs of life except...except for one.”**

**“We tried to get closer towards the signal when the ground below us gave way. We ended up somewhere we never wanted to be.”**

**“The signal was coming from below the surface, where we had just ended up, and all around us were bodies, frozen in some kind of black substance. It was dark, and cold, and everything about it just screamed wrong, but we kept going.”**

**“When we finally met up with the man who had sent the signal, I cursed to myself. We should have left. I should have known!”**

_Anakin shook his head at Kanan’s voice ringing through his head. He had been in that position before, blaming himself for something that wasn’t his fault. And just like Kanan, he had done something reckless to try and reconcile his misdoings, but going down that path had only left his with regret in the end._

**“...it was a Sith…one that I thought had been killed long before my Padawan days. He was just there, waiting for us, like he knew it was going to be me.”**

**“He was waiting for us in this...this…”**

  
_“A Sith Temple…” Anakin breathed out, staring at the pyramid structure with a sense of dread and awe. All around him was a scene straight out of a horror scene, bodied crumbling, frozen in time like someone had taken a picture of the moment and suspended it like a renaissance painting of a war long passed._

_But it was worse than that…much worse, because it wasn’t a painting. These people weren’t some figment of imagination or some conspiracy theory drawing from the holonet._

_It was right in front of him._

_Jedi and Sith alike, fighting with metal weapons instead of sabers, poses stilled like sculptures. Bodies surrounded by ash and dust while they stood and died and turned to ancient stone._

_There were no recorded Sith Temples in any archives he had ever seen, which meant that this…this scene and these people… these bodies were more than a few thousand years old._

_He could feel the blood pulse through his veins, and he went faint at the sight of everything around him._

_Focusing his eyes back on Kanan and the boy, he watched in muted shock as the doors to the temple opened and Darth Maul walked out._

_He was red and was as crazy looking as ever, and the bottom half of him was a pair of mechanical legs that looked like they had seen better days._

_But it was still DARTH MAUL._

_And they didn’t look too surprised to see him._

_And neither did the Jedi with the double blades for that matter. From where he was standing, Anakin could only barely make out her figure. Her face was obscured by one of the statues at the front of the temple, but instead of dwelling like he wanted to, his eyes were drawn back to the scene in front of him_.

**“...so we talked to him.”**

**“At first, the conversation was somewhat friendly, but it turned bad really quick.”**

_Anakin watched as a pack of Sith fell out of frame and barged into the impromptu meeting with Maul, and began to escalate the situation._

**“My son, he tried to reason with him, tried to tell him we were on the same side, that he didn't have to do this...”**

**“He…at first, he tried to kidnap my son. Needless to say, that didn’t work.”** _Anakin shook his head at the young teen, who foolishly passed his master and ‘willingly’ entered the temple with a known Sith, trying to talk to him, because even Anakin could tell that this child felt the pull from both sides, but darkness was not the way. He had to know that, just as he had to know that Maul would try to trick him and seduce him to the dark._

_There was already a drift between him and Kanan, and siding with the opposing views was already shifty and a bad decision, but when cosmic entities such as the Force was involved, it was better to distance yourself and stick with the path you knew._

_Maul had never known kindness, he was brought up in a world that saw men as lesser beings, and bought as a youngling and sent to a master who used him for his anger and belittled him when he felt anything else. There was no siding with a man like that. No matter what, they would always stay in the dark._

_The scene went on, passing time like fast forwarding a recording._

_He caught the jist of it._

_Maul wanted the raw power from the boy, who was still foolish enough to think that he genuinely wanted to help the Jedi, but Ezra had refused, and Maul had lashed out while Kanan and the older Jedi Master battles with the Inquisitors._ **“When Ezra didn't go with him, he then tried to kill me…”** _He then proceeded to watch as Maul and Kanan battled against each other, Maul gaining the upper hand and swinging his blade wide, successfully burning out Kanan’s eyeballs and the dip of his nose._

_The smell of his burning flesh reminded him of his mother and how he failed to save her, and Anakin could to nothing but purse his lips and look away from the scene, all the while Kanan’s voice kept drifting on like an ongoing tape as he recalled this particular memory._

_Because he recognized that that’s what this was to Kanan, he finally realized that these snippets of Kanan’s life were exactly that._

_Memories of a time long passed._

**“...needless to say, that _also_ didn't work.”**

_The scene suddenly shifted, and Anakin doin himself of the top of the temple, watching as a light shot out of the very top like a beacon calling to any Sith who could see its light._

_Moth, meet fire._

_And oh, did it burn._

_It was unstable, but somehow the beacon worked, and before he knew it, he was staring into the eyes ofthe black mask of The Master…the one who had purged the Jedi._

_He was staring into the mask, unable to breathe because the presence, the essence, the very Force of this person was a similar symphony, one that he had been hearing his whole life._

_It was his own._

_“No…” Anakin whispered, stumbling back as he stared at himself match forward and raise his blade to the youngling._

_He watched as Ezra couldn’t quite dodge his blow, and sank to his knees when he saw that female Jedi’s face finally slip into focus._

_“Ahsoka…” he whispered, reaching his hand out and grabbing her shoulder, only to cry in frustration as his hand passed through her body like a ghost through a wall._

_“Anakin Skywalker was weak. I destroyed him.” His Sith self said, the voice ominous and deep, contorted by the mask. Anakin shivered in fear of what he would become._

_“Then I will avenge his death.” Snips said, defiance in her tone and anger in her stance._

_“Revenge is not the Jedi way.”_

_“…I am **no** Jedi.”_

_“No...no no no no. No!” Anakin screamed, running behind her as she climbed her way back to the top after being thrown by him and the wind, and still chasing after him as she ran with deadly intent towards where he was trying to pull a holocron from the boy. The wing around was passing right through him, but Anakin could tell that even with surprise on her side, the Sith was still to strong, he was still too strong. “Ahsoka.” He said, reaching out his hand as she jumped, knocking him over and slicing off a piece of his mask in the process._

_“AHSOKA!” He yelled, screaming with pain and tears, but froze when he saw her snap her head over to him in shock._

_Had…had she heard him?_

_“...Ahsoka?” He questioned, walking through his own body to look at her with confusion._

_And they stared at each other. Vader and her._

_They stared into each other, but Anakin felt her looking at him._

_“…Anakin…” she whispered in disbelief, still staring at Vader. Because that’s who he was, wasn’t it?_

**“We barely got away with our lives…”** _Kanan’s voice drifted though his head, and Anakin shook his head, already knowing what was coming._

_“No! No I can’t leave her there with him! I-I can’t! Not when I know-” he screamed at the wind, watching as his vision of the scene started to blur. “Not…not when I know…”_

**“…and my son blamed himself ever since.”**

 

_____

 

 

  
_“I don’t know if I can hate him after this.” Anakin mumbled to himself as he looked at the scene at the top of the temple get smaller and smaller with each passing second, eventually watching as the entire structure just…collapsed._

_This was how he lost his eyesight…_

_And this was the future of the galaxy…_

_The future of himself…_

_He had to change it, and he needed Kanan’s help to do it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’re wondering, yes, I posted this for you guys to read during the holidays.
> 
> Also so you could be mad and beg for more but whatever works for you is fine, obviously. 
> 
> and if you need to know the scene at the end there (because it’s the season 2 finale of SW: Rebels) just look up Ahsoka vs Vader on YouTube and click the 5:27 video posted by ARC Trooper TV
> 
> :P
> 
> [Below is the Authors note that I posted as Ch 17]
> 
> Its been a couple of weeks since the mass shooting in Vegas, and because of that, I haven’t felt the need to write too much.
> 
> Now, not much of you know this but I live in Las Vegas. I had friends that were on the strip while this was going down, and some of my co-workers lost people that were very dear to them.
> 
> Fortunately, nobody that I knew was hurt by the shooter, but that’s not the case for a lot of the people that I know and consider friends and it’s because of this that I’ve lost inspiration for some of the things that I love to do. Writing is hard for me, I don’t have the heart after what’s happened, and drawing and painting is lost to me now.
> 
> Hopefully, I’ll regain some inspiration soon and continue to write and post chapters as I used to, but if it takes a little while for me to push one out, now you know why and I deeply apologize for it. Originally this was not something I wanted to make know to you, but you people are amazing, and it's because of the first few of you that started reading this that I started to write again after two years of me giving up on it.
> 
> I’m not giving up on it now. 
> 
> Now, before you start thinking that I’m going to stop writing this story, know that I am working on the next chapter right now, and if you want to read more, I’ve added a mere 1.5K words to my last chapter, (just read under the ...oOo... on Ch. 16) I just wanted you guys to know about whats been happening in my life and the city around me. This is my home, and it’s been soaked in red and depression for the last few weeks, but I am dertermined not to let it stop me from doing what I love. 
> 
> Im probably going to delete this Authors Note and add it as a Chapter Note for the next chapter I post, but thank you for taking a little time out of your life to read this. 
> 
> If any of my readers live in Vegas, and/or have lost anyone in the shooting, know that my prayers are with your families. It’s not easy, knowing that even a friend of a friend was hurt, but my prayers are with everybody that was affected by the mass shooting that happened a few weeks ago. 
> 
> Thank you for your time. 
> 
>  
> 
> -V


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is going to sound a little weird, but for the next month or two, I will be periodically updating Ch 18. For all the people that have been here since the beginning, you know that almost 7 months ago my mom got sick and was hospitalized. Unfortunately, her health since then has deteriorated further. The initial sickness was diverticulitis, and since she refused to eat the necessary foods and take the medicines to get her health back up, it caused a hole to form in her larger intestine. 
> 
> Two weeks ago, right around when I was finishing up the first part of Ch 18, my mom was hospitalized and had to go into emergency surgery to fix the hole her body created. She had been in the hospital for the past week up until a few days ago when she was finally released and sent home. Only me and my family have been taking care of her, and will have to watch over her to make sure the hole doesn’t expand for another 6 months before going into another surgery to correct the problem. 
> 
> Right now, I’m just glad she’s alive. The hole in her intestine was leaking air into her blood stream, and if it had gone untreated, the hole could’ve expanded, completely severing her intestine to her stomach, or, the air leaking into her blood stream could’ve caused a heart attack (from what I’ve been told, she’s one of the lucky ones). 
> 
> It’s been a traumatic experience, one I don’t plan on experiencing again, but I’m hoping that she can at least go on these next few months without so much trouble. 
> 
> That’s why I’m planning to just keep updating this chapter until it’s complete and then move onto the next one instead of posting 8 1.5k words long chapters when I can morph it into one.

_Waking up this time was different. It was disorienting, and fuzzy, and it felt like he was falling through the emptiness without and clue as to which way was which, and everything was so loud he didn’t know what to do except grab his head to try and block out the noise._

_It didn’t work._

_He couldn’t see when he opened his eyes, but that was no surprise to him. What was a surprise was the presence that was roaming beside him, someone he could see through the void._

_Anakin._

_Here, his soul, his Force was still so bright and as untainted as it ever could be. This feeling, these colors were the ones from the Anakin of his youth, and he had always tried his best to follow in the footsteps of the General Without Fear, even though the thought was for naught. He figured that out when he was older._

_But now…now Anakin was pure of heart, even if his hands were stained with red, it was the red of his enemies and not the red of his allies._

_Maybe they were more alike than he thought._

_It was no use to dwell on the past now, as it was simultaneously what was happening right now and what would happen in the future._

_Still, the implications of that were daunting, and dizzying._

_Most of all, the implications of all that could be filled him up with hope. Hope for a better future, for a better life for countless beings across the galaxy._

_First, he just needed to figure out how to wake up._

 

 

_______

 

 

_Anakin kept on walking, after the sixth temple had fallen he had landed in the middle of the desert he was first thrown into when he entered the mind of Kanan Jarrus. He grimaced as the sand seeped through his clothes, but he refused to dwell on it, only thinking about the task ahead of him._

_Kanan would be no easy man to find, and uless another mystic doorway appeared, he would have to find I’m on his own._

_Looking up, he saw the sun setting in the distance and decided that walking towards the light was the best chance he had. Besides, he wasn’t really hopeful he would find other beings in this deserted planet since what he was walking in wasn’t technically a place at all._

_Right now, he was just lucky there were no more storms in the older Jedi’s mind._

_Sighing inwardly, he stood up and squared his shoulders, dusting off all the sand he could before he marched forward and set his sights on the journey ahead._

 

 

_____

 

 

_Breathing was an easy thing. He didn’t have to think about anything except the gentle inhale and exhale of his breaths as he put one foot in front of the other._

_He was in a desert, the very place he had isolated himself to before he went on a smuggler’s run and ran into Hera for the first time. He had planned on dying in this desert, so it was no surprise at all that this was where he found himself when locked inside his own mind._

_He couldn’t get out for some reason. Meditating wasn’t working as well as he thought he would, so instead of burying his knees in the sand, he decided to walk._

_His direction was easy. Anakin’s Force signature was like a beacon of warmth, much like the setting sun that was currently warming his backside. Forward was the only way to go in a place like this._

_He had to find peace._

_This was where he felt the most at peace before he was dragged into the war against the Empire, but his mind was currently a war zone of conflicting thoughts and harsh memories. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he walked out of here with the younger Jedi taking refuge in the same desert, he just wished that whatever was shown to him wouldn’t affect their dynamic in the real world._

_Anakin would be a force to be reckoned with if he was angry, but the light inside his mind showed no anger, only resolve and purpose._

_Kanan shook his head._

_He had to get out of here._

_He had to wake up._

_Something told him that for some reason, he wouldn’t be able to without Anakin._

 

 

...oOo...

 

 

“Sir, how do you want us to proceed?” The identifiable voice of a Clone said, calmly breaking the tense silence on the ship.

Admiral Yularen hummed, furrowing his brow in thought before turning to the Clone that had just spoken. He was watching the mission unfold on the screen in from of them, each little screen lighted with the green color of the fighter sips. General Kenobi was at the top of the screw, the rest of the squad underneath. Each green outline would blink if one of the clones in the cockpit were talking. It was fairly easy for the Admiral to keep track of all the men this way, and it would hurt his heart a little bit each time whenever one of the fighters on a mission went down and the green picture was tuned red, signaling the fallen soldier. Right now, they were just lucky nobody was dead yet.

War brought a lot of casualties, he was just counting of them being no more after this dreaded war was over.

“General Kenobi and those fighters can’t be out there alone.” He ended up saying to the Clone, his voice strong and heart aching. “We need to send reinforcements, but the question is how? A full frontal assault will only get our men killed.” The Admiral looked to each clone surrounding him. They were the most qualified people on the ship besides him right now, each the head of a different segment, and he needed all the help he could get the if he was going to figure it a plan to weaken Grievous’ fleet.

The clones looked to each other, every one of them looking down nd around in thought before the one in charge of the shipments being brought onto the ship stepped forward and cleared his throat.

“…what about the crawlers?” He said, voice timid but loud in the silence. It was obvious he’d never been in a situation like this before, but the tactical advantage he had as a Clone still broke through.

“The what?” Another Clone asked, turning to lol at his brother, a questioning look on his face.

The Clone looked to him, breathing in before stepping forward and responding. “Before the mission, we passed one of the other cargo ships for resupply, and we got a new shipment of canyon crawlers. They’re in the hangar bay, and are equipped with chameleon cloaking.” Admiral Yularen raises his eyebrows in surprise as he turned to look at the Clone fully. “If we can somehow use the crawlers to get behind Grievous’ ship, we can sneak him out and get rid of his engines.”

The Admiral nodded, liking the plan before he turned to look at the everyone on the bridge with him.

“Do you think we can send them out in time before Grievous arrives?”

“There’s no way to tell, Sir.” Someone else said in response. “Chameleon cloaking only works on solid background since it had to project the image of what’s directly behind or under it. In space, they’re surrounded by nothing so I’m not sure how the technology would react.”

He nodded. “We’ll, we need to think of something quick. It’s hardly been a few hours but we’re already running out of time. Grievous won’t be long now.”

“Shall we inform General Kenobi about this new development?”

He looked away, staring at the small fighters through the giant window on the bridge. “…Send the ships out and have them fully loaded and docked on the asteroids behind where Grievous’s ship will come out from hyperspace. I’ll inform General Kenobi of the canyon crawlers and hope that his fighters will give you enough time to sneak behind the battleship.”

“Yes sir.” The Cloned chanted, almost in unison, before breaking of and getting back to their duties.

 

 

_____

 

 

  
_“Resolute Command to Gold Leader, there’s been a new development.”_ Admiral Yularen’s voice was clear and loud, but it made Obi-Wan frown. He sighed, ship till moving forward as he clicked on a one way transmission to the ship.

“What is it Admiral?” He asked, not trying to keep the frown out of his voice.

_“We’ve received a shipment of advanced canyon crawlers with chameleon cloaking. I’ve sent out a small team of crawlers to make their way behind Grievous’s ship and take out their engines.”_

Obi-Wan hummed. “Me and mine will have to distract the Droid General then. Anything else I should know?” The question, with his stance and phrasing, sounded more like an order, but Admiral Yularen simply just answered back in the same tone of voice. They were both leaders. Thy couldn’t afford to be heard sounding questionable.

 _“It would do well to try and draw General Grievous to the surface of the planet as well.”_ He stated with calm finality. _“It has a breathable atmosphere and the terrain could be used to a great advantage.”_

“Well then, I’ll be sure to draw him out while you take out those engines, Admiral.”

 _“Yes sir.”_ he responded briskly before the transmission was cut and the only noise left ringing in his ears was static.

“Gold squadron-” he started to say with only the slightest tilt in his voice indicating that something might work to their advantage. “-tighten formation. We need to draw in Grievous’s fighters.”

There was a steady chorus of _‘Yes sir’_ s and a small mechanical whirring in his ear that he recognized as Artoo, before the words that the astromech was speaking caught up to him. Shaking his head fondly, he checked the cockpit to see if everything was in working order before speeding up and responding to the concerned droid.

“I know, Artoo, but Grievous is falling right into our trap. Any word from Anakin?” he asked instead, and tried to make it sound like his heart wasn't painfully lodged in his throat.

 _‘Focus…’_ he thought to himself, seeing the astromech spin his camera over to look at his through the glass of his fighter and beep out a symphony of words.

“His ship is stranded outside of Coruscant?” there were a few more moments of unsatisfied trilling by the droid before he made a whirring sigh and just brought up Anakin's credentials from the mission his ex-Padawan was currently on. Obi-Wan, not wanting to take up too much time since he was still piloting a fighter, flicked his eyes over to his mail monitor and skimmed the document. Mumbling to himself, he set his head piece aside so his men wouldn't hear his mumbling. “...but his engines are still functioning according to the report.” he said in a confused voice, causing the white and blue droid to shriek at him some more. “I’ll have to speak to him once I’m back on the Resolute.”

Focusing his sights once more on Grievous’ ship, he noticed that their frontal cannons were brightening. He was charging up his blasters.

“Men, watch your stabilizers.” he ordered, rushing to but his headset back on. The battle was just about to begin.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin and Kanan are still off the grid, and so is...Artoo?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is Obi-Wan centric, and although it does involve Anakin, he is not directly in this chapter. The next one is going to be focused mainly on the Anakin/Kanan situation.

“We got incoming!” Obi-Wan stated, his voice becoming something hard and fearless as he directed orders to his troops, all the while watching with determination as Grievous’ fighters flew towards them. “Take evasive action.”

 

_ “Yes, Sir. Scrambling fighters now.” _

 

Grunting, he quickly jabbed down, tilting his fighter to avoid an incoming shot, and glanced back to see his scrambling clones. So far, they were putting up a decent fight. 

 

At least Obi-Wan thought so. Artoo on the other hand was whirring and beeping angrily at him. “Language Artoo!” the Jedi scolded, shaking his head. No wonder his Padawan was so foul mouthed. “No, Artoo, were not retreating!”

 

Jerking his fighter around, he quickly shot down two of Grievous’ men behind one of his troops, all the while listening to the disapproved noises Artoo was making at him, shaking his mechanical little claw like a scolding father. 

 

“What?!” He laughed, a bit incredulous at the Droid. “What do you mean ‘Anakin told me to look after you’ ?! I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” He said, barely dodging another shot headed his way while Artoo kept beeping and buzzing. “Yes I am completely aware of the situation I’m in.” 

 

“Oh, don’t talk in that tone with me R2. I’m busy and I Don’t need you scolding me on top of everything else.”

 

_ “Sir, I’m terribly sorry to interrupt your spat, but Grievous is in position.”  _ Admiral Yularen’s voice was clear, if not a little amused, as he relayed the information to the Jedi Master.

 

“Alright. Admiral, fire up the crawlers.” Bringing up his finger, he switched his comms to broadcast and voiced his next thought to all his fighters and the people within the ship that were on the same frequency. “Let’s show the Droid General that it's not so easy to mess with us.”

 

_ “With pleasure, General.” _

 

“Attention all units.” Obi-Wan said, commanding his fleet, sure that they wouldn’t hesitate. “Fire at will.”

 

He grinned, feeling the elation of a battle almost won as the crawlers came up from behind Grievous’ ships on the asteroids, successfully firing and taking out his engines. 

 

Obi-Wan smirked, and nodded. “Forward cannons, Admiral.”

 

_ “Yes, Sir. Firing forward cannons.” _

 

“Thank you admiral. Boys… light them up.” 

 

There were cheers and laughter as Grievous’ ships were destroyed, but Obi-Wan paid them no mind. The battle was quick, and almost too easy. Grievous was always a struggle to deal with, and he always left a trail of darkness following behind him. 

 

Looking around, he noticed one of the ships was turning and that they hyperdrive was trying to engage. Going after the ship, Obi-Wan sped forward and ordered the rest of his men to fall back as he went after the fleeing ship, not noticing the debris lodged onto his left engine until it was too late. 

 

_____

 

 

Obi-Wan woke up in Med bay. His head was pounding, and his chest was sore, but everything else seemed fine and judging by the audience, it hasn’t been more than a few hours since he’s been out. 

 

“What happened?” He asked, sitting up with a wince as he rubbed his temples to try to alleviate some of the pain. 

 

“When your engine blew, it jerked your fighter pretty hard and you needed up crashing into the asteroid fiend a few hundred meters in from of you.” The Med Droid said as he checked over Obi-Wan’s ribs. “Luckily, your astromech managed to take some semblance of control over the craft so the impact wasn’t as hard on your person.” 

 

“Yeah, and  _ unfortunately _ Grievous has gone AWOL-“ Cody said as he walked into the room, his helmet notched on his hip, “-but the rest of his fleet is nothing but scraps at this point.”

 

“Well, that’s a pleasant surprise at least, aside from Grievous escaping I’ve been managed to get away with only minimal bruising.” He laughed as he looked around, shifting to sit up in the cot, but when he found no sign of his Padawans Droid, he became a little more worried. Artoo has specifically told him that Anakin wanted him to keep him safe, but he wasn’t here to check up on him? It didn’t add up. 

 

“Where’s Artoo?” He asked, genuinely curious about the crazy droids whereabouts, frowning when Cody looked away. 

 

“...I’m sorry General…” he started, but Obi-Wan interrupted him.

 

“What happened?” He asked, a little tersely. 

 

“When he saved you from a harsher impact, he was lodged out of his pit on your fighter. We’ve got the cleaning crew looking for him right now, but we’re not sure if the astromech made it.”

 

Obi wan sighed, and flopped back down onto his bed. He was sure that Artoo hadn’t been destroyed, but at this point, if he had been captured by Grievous or some scrappers, with the information he had on his hard drive…

 

It wasn’t a good combination. 

 

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” Obi-Wan mumbled to himself, wincing at the impact from the drop. 

 

_____

 

 

_ “This was a great victory for your men, Obi-Wan. You should be very proud.” _

 

“Thank you Mace.” He bowed, lowering his head to his his small grimace, but it seemed like the effort was useless. Mace knew him from before their Padawan days, it wasn’t very hard for him to realize that something was wrong. 

 

_ “...You seem troubled.” _

 

Sighing, he responded with his chin high. “I seem to have lost my Padawans droid.”

 

_ “R2 Units are very common. We can assign you another one and have him brought over with the next fleet of shipments-” _

 

“I’m afraid it’s not as simple as that, my old friend.” He interrupted, making Mace pause and raise a single brow, silently prompting him to continue.

 

“Artoo has developed a mind and a personality of his own unfortunately, and Anakin has become attached. I will admit I’ve become rather fond of him as well.”

 

_ “Attachments are forbidden. You know that as well as I do. Besides, it’s only a Droid.” _

 

“A Droid with conscious artificial  _ learning _ intelligence, that has a personality. He’s a part of my team as much as any of my clones are.”  “Artoo has never been wiped before. He’s still programmed with our tactics and base locations. If the separatists get a hold of him-”

 

_ “What possessed you two to not wipe his memory banks?” _

 

“Artoo having that extra information has come in handy many,  _ many _ times, and Anakin programmed him to only allow access to his intel core to a select group of people-”

 

_ “Well, then you better find that Droid before anyone else does. If that information gets in the wrong hands, we could be done for.” _

 

His code is nearly unhackable, so it’s unlikely-“

 

“Nearly is  _ not _ enough.” Mace growled,finally getting angry at the conversation. “Find that R2 Unit.” He ordered, and cut the connection. Obi-Wan was mostly unaffected at his behavior, but the fact that Artoo hadn’t been found, not even a scrap of him, wasn’t a good sign. 

 

“Well…he’s not very fun, is he?” Cody asked, finally stepping forward to try and lighten the mood. 

 

Obi-Wan sighed once more and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

 

“No.” He responded, shaking his head. “No, he’s not.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry you guys! This literally took months for such a short chapter and I didn’t mean to delay this for so long. Life just got away from me and this hasn’t been my main focus since January. I’ve slowly started my art back up and I’m in the middle of writing another story so this hasn’t been getting my main attention for a while, but not that I have a writers block for my other story, I hope that I will be working on this one more frequently.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this short chapter!


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